


Lost and Found

by HunterJay



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-16 07:10:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5819083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HunterJay/pseuds/HunterJay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the wrong place at the wrong time, Cassandra finds herself in the crossfire of a magical mishap. Leliana-centric.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set pre-Leliana's personal quest to Valence.

When the bright flash of green had lit up the rookery, Leliana ignored it at first. It wasn't the first time Dorian had being practicing some untoward magic that got out of hand in the library, much to Grand Enchanter Fiona's irritation, and she very much doubted it would be the last. Naturally, she had her people keep a close eye on what he was doing, but for the most part Leliana chose to leave the man to his own devices. There was no point in pretending she understood the intricacies of magic beyond the scraps of information she had picked up from her Warden over the years.

One of her birds cawed loudly and she paused. The library had fallen suspiciously quiet. Until-

"Dorian," Solas' voice called from somewhere below them all. "What did you just _do_?"

"Nothing," Dorian's voice sounded just a mite too casual. "Nothing at all, good fellow. Everything is fine. Nobody was...uh...caught in the crossfire of a spell gone amiss." There was the sound of books toppling to the ground. "No need to come up here if _that's_ what you're suggesting." A _crash_ of what sounded like armour and muffled cursing in a language Leliana was only partially familiar with.

She sighed and laid her quill down on the desk in front of her. She could already hear one of her agents racing up the steps two at a time. Never a dull moment.

"Sister Nightingale," the dwarven woman panted before she'd barely entered the room.

"Yes?"

"I think you'd better see this," the dwarf said with a wild look in her eyes.

"And I should be expecting..." Leliana prompted, as she rose gracefully from her chair.

"Um...Well Lady Pentaghast was..."

Leliana picked up the pace. Not a force in Thedas would be able to stop Hurricane Cassandra from murdering Dorian if she'd been caught in some kind of magical experiment. It was hard for the woman to keep her prejudices at bay at the best of times and the lack of angry shouting from said woman was most alarming.

She was almost at the bottom of the spiral staircase when the bickering started. Although _bickering_ was probably not the correct word to describe the angry rant that Grand Enchanter Fiona seemed to have launched into.

"Just what were you thinking!" the woman yelled, waving a book in her hand at Dorian like she was about to beat him with it. Leliana paused in the doorway and took in the scene from across the library. Even for an elf Fiona was an exceptionally short woman, and yet somehow she cut quite the frightening figure even as the other mage towered over her. "Of all the irresponsible-" Fiona stopped as though she wasn't even sure how to describe her utter irritation. "Did you learn _nothing_ from Redcliffe?" Leliana frowned at that, still not able to see whatever crime Dorian had actually committed.

"My good woman," Dorian said, seizing the chance to interrupt the flow of anger while still stepping back nervously, but Fiona was having none of it.

"I just hope for all our sakes you know how to reverse this!" Fiona gestured to something low on the floor. "Things are hard enough for the mages without you undoing any amount of goodwill with your selfish experimentations and total disregard for the consequences of your actions!"

Having seen enough, Leliana pushed herself from the shadows and edged her way around Helisma's research station. It was late in the evening so the library was quiet save for one of her agents lurking behind a bookcase and Dorian and Fiona herself...and apparently Cassandra, though Leliana worryingly had yet to spot her.

"Dorian," she said. The two mages turned to look at her and all colour drained from the man's face.

"Sister Nightingale. I was just-" He stopped when Leliana held up a hand.

"Where is Cassandra?" she asked.

"Ah...well." Dorian straightened out his robes nervously. "About that..."

"She's here," said Fiona, pointing to behind the bookcase she was stood closest to. The scowl on her face softened and that set off warning bells in Leliana's head like nothing else could. Rarely had Leliana seen the elf's face display anything but a displeased glower.

"It's not as bad as it looks," said Dorian hurriedly as Leliana brushed past Fiona to see what all the fuss was about.

She froze in place.

"It was an accident!"

"That is quite the accident, Dorian," said an accented voice behind Leliana, and only years of training kept her from jumping in fright. Somewhere during her distraction, Solas had entered the library.

Leliana forced herself to walk forward, stepping over a scattering of books, and knelt down before the unconscious woman. Or _girl_ would probably be the more accurate noun, for that was who lay uncomfortably on the ground in front of her. Nothing more than a child. Her black hair was longer, reaching just below her shoulders and her face was fuller, but the person in front of her was still undeniably Cassandra Pentaghast. Behind her she dimly noted Solas and Dorian discussing the magic that had been used and something about a disturbance in the fade with the occasional interjection from an angry Fiona.

"Cassandra?" Leliana said, reaching forward to run a gentle finger down a no longer scarred cheek. The girl didn't stir. She turned back to the mages. "Can you fix this?"

Dorian opened his mouth but it was Solas who answered her. "Without more research it would be to dangerous to attempt another transformation so soon. We don't actually know what Dorian did. I take it this was not the intended consequence?"

Dorian shook his head rapidly. "Of course it wasn't!"

"Then what exactly did you think you were doing?" Fiona folded her arms and glared.

"I was just...toying with some of the magic we discovered in the future at Redcliffe. I had no idea the Seeker was standing so close...or that it would have such a dramatic effect."

Leliana stood up then and the three mages fell silent, watching her warily. "You were told not to touch that magic again," she said, keeping her voice low. "In fact, I believe you were told to destroy all of your research on the subject."

"Yes, well..." Dorian shifted nervously and Leliana's lip curled into something resembling a snarl. She'd read every single report that had crossed Josephine's desk about the incident at Redcliffe, and the destruction of everything to do with the dangerous magic being used that day had been the first thing all three of the Inquisitor's advisors had agreed on since they'd decided to form the Inquisition all those months ago. Nobody should have that kind of power.

She made sure to keep her voice even but just below the surface her blood simmered with rage. "You will find a way to fix this and then you will destroy every last piece of knowledge you have ever gathered in this area of magic. When that is done you and I will revisit this discussion. _Do I make myself clear_?"

With wide eyes, Dorian nodded. "Of course, Sister Nightingale." He laughed awkwardly. "How could I refuse such a reasonable request from such a beautiful woman."

Perhaps seeing the murder in her eyes, Solas took a small step forward. "It is possible that in time this magic will wear off on it's own, but if it does not we may never find a reversal spell without Dorian." Solas paused. "Stay your hand, Leliana." She pursed her lips, not even having noticed the twitch she'd made towards one of the hidden daggers by her hip. "For now at least."

"You wound me, Solas," said Dorian, clutching a hand to his heart. Fiona's hands balled into fists.

Behind her, there was a quiet groan and in an instant Leliana was back on her knees in front of Cassandra. The girl's eyelids were fluttering and she shifted awkwardly in the metal breastplate that was now much too large for her. Leliana's hands found the buckles to the armour and began to undo them.

"Cassandra?" she asked. The girl groaned again and her hands twitched.

Solas knelt down beside her and peered at Cassandra with a critical eye, making Leliana stiffen. There was something about the elven mage that made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Of course the man had done nothing to deserve the mistrust as far as she knew. She just always felt like there was something he was holding back and by now Leliana had learned to trust her instincts. She brushed the thoughts aside as Cassandra finally managed to open her eyes.

Leliana held her breath as the girl stared at her uncomprehendingly. Then her eyes widened with fear and she tried to scramble back but got caught in the armour.

"Here, let me," said Leliana, quickly undoing the last buckle and pushing the metal weighing down the girl's chest.

Cassandra leapt to her feet and stumbled away from them, the oversized clothing tangling between her limbs and making her unsteady.

"It seems she does not know who we are," Solas observed, needlessly, before rising to his feet and resuming his academic discussion with Dorian.

Mentally, Leliana cursed them both for leaving her to deal with the frightened child alone. She tried to smile but the expression felt foreign on her face and it must have shown because if possible the girl looked even more panicked than before.

"Cassandra, it's okay," she said, in the softest voice she could muster.

" _How do you know my name_?" Cassandra asked in Nevarran. Tears were forming in her eyes now. " _Where am I_? _Where is Anthony_?" The last question caused a twinge of pain in the heart Leliana no longer believed herself to possess. Long before the Inquisition and even before Divine Justinia's coronation Leliana had learned everything there was to know about Cassandra Pentaghast, from her ascension to Right Hand to her love of trashy romance novels. The tragic fate of beloved older brother, Anthony Pentaghast, was one of the first pieces of information she'd gathered.

" _My name is Leliana_ ," she finally said in her best Nevarran. She was a little rusty in the language but was sure she knew enough to get by with a child of...six? Perhaps seven.

" _Hello, Leliana_ ," little Cassandra sniffled. " _Where is Anthony, please_?"

Leliana noted that the child did not ask for her legal guardian. " _Your brother brought you here so we could take care of you while he hunts a dragon in the Hinterlands_ ," she lied.

Cassandra's stance relaxed but her eyes narrowed in suspicion. It was a look Leliana was very familiar with on the other woman's face and that thought brought out a smile more believable than her last. Apparently some things never changed.

"Fiona," she then said, knowing the woman was hovering somewhere behind her. "Please could you fetch Lady Montilyet? And the Inquisitor. I believe they are in Josephine's office." There was a brief pause before Fiona replied in the affirmative and Leliana listened to her short-gaited footsteps quickly take her away from the library.

* * *

Ellana Lavellan trailed after Grand Enchanter Fiona rather miserably. She'd been so close to coaxing Josephine away from that small mountain of work piled up on her over large desk and back to her quarters for a glass of wine when the interruption had come in the form of sharp knocking on the door and a perpetually angry elf demanding both their attention. Ellana had been in half a mind to refuse and just drag Josephine to bed but then the words 'Sister Nightingale' had been thrown out there and well... _nobody_ refused Leliana if they knew what was good for them. Not that Ellana was just a little bit terrified of their spymaster. Not even one jot. She didn't still jump at sudden shadowy movements out of fear it was Leliana come to reassert herself as Josephine's personal bodyguard and shank her for defiling her friend. That would just be ridiculous after all.

"And we're going to the library?" Ellana asked.

Fiona huffed and cast a disparaging look backwards at her. "As I told you less than thirty seconds ago, the problem at hand is better seen than explained."

"So what you're saying is-"

"My lady," Josephine interrupted. "Perhaps our time would be better spent reaching our destination than bothering our guide."

She opened her mouth to protest but then thought better of it. "Very well." The grateful look Josephine shot her made it completely worth it. She knew her ambassador had been working diligently to foster better relationships with the mages in Skyhold for months, and though she denied any longer being the Grand Enchanter, keeping things cordial with Fiona went a long way towards that. A lot of the mages still looked to her for guidance.

They followed the elf through the main hall, waving to Varric in greeting as they passed. He barely looked up, however, thoroughly engrossed in whatever he was writing. Definitely going to the library then, Ellana thought, as they then passed through Solas' empty room and moved to the stairs. Or maybe Leliana's creepy bird room. Every time she went up there Baron Plucky or Lord Featherbrain or Countess I-Want-To-Peck-Your-Eyes-Out-And-Consume-Your-Soul...it was something like that...would stare at her and caw aggressively until she left. She was almost certain the spymaster had purposely trained them to react poorly to her presence. Ironic, that someone with as firm religious beliefs and ties to the Chantry as Leliana could keep such unholy demon beasts as pets.

Thankfully, the person they were looking for was in the library along with Solas and a...strangely guilty looking Dorian. Oh no. That couldn't be good. Ellana briefly wondered if she should have brought her knives with her.

"Inquisitor!" said Dorian, as he side stepped to block her view of Leliana and whatever it was she was doing on her knees. "What a pleasant surprise. And Lady Montilyet, you are looking particularly lovely this evening."

Ellana felt her eyes narrow. "What did you do, Dorian?"

"Yes, Ser Pavus," said Fiona, sliding past Josephine and making her way over to where Solas was leaning over some documents at Dorian's usual research station. "Why don't you tell the Inquisitor _exactly_ what the problem is here and who is responsible." She continued muttering darkly then about arrogant nobles until she was out of earshot.

Before Dorian could answer, Leliana rose to her feet and beckoned the two women over. The hood that usually cast dark shadows over her face was pushed back allowing Ellana to see the troubled glint in her eyes.

Sidestepping the mage and a rather sizable pile of books, Ellana and Josephine made their way over to the bard.

"Good evening, Leliana," said Josephine, a polite but curious smile playing about her lips. Ellana caught herself staring at said lips and quickly looked away. That was when the small hand clutching at Leliana's robe caught her attention and she frowned. A child?

"Josie," Leliana replied in greeting with a shallow bob of her head. "Inquisitor. I'd like to introduce you to Cassandra Pentaghast."

Leliana took a short step to the left, revealing the small, dark haired girl trying to hide behind her.

"Oh my!" Josephine clamped her hand to her mouth. Ellana just blinked stupidly. "What happened?"

"Our resident Tevene mage happened," said Leliana, her lilting accent just a little more pronounced than usual. The man in question caught attention turning to him and made quite the show of looking like he was very busy picking up books from the ground. "Using magic that was expressly forbidden I might add."

Ellana wasn't even sure what to say about that. Oh wait. Yes she did. "Well...shit."

"Indeed," replied Leliana. Young Cassandra refused to meet anyone's gaze and nervously played with the fabric of Leliana's robe. "As of yet we are unsure how to reverse the spell."

"That is...most unfortunate," said Josephine. She was already scribbling away at the ever-present clipboard, nose scrunched up in thought. "Of course she will need some new clothes."

For a moment, Leliana looked relieved that someone else was taking charge but as soon as the expression appeared it was gone. Ellana couldn't say she was surprised; what she knew of their spymaster didn't lend itself to the idea that she was particularly good with children. Still, it amused her to know that the unflappable Sister Nightingale was at least a little...flapped by this twist of events.

"What are we going to do with her? I mean..." Ellana stopped for a second and thought. "There are children in Skyhold, right? What do they do in the day?"

"You're knowledge of the workings of your own castle are astounding," said Leliana. She said it so pleasantly it was almost possible to miss the deep sarcasm in her voice.

"Leliana," Josephine chided.

"Leliana," said another voice. Three sets of eyes dropped to the child tugging at Leliana's clothes and she seemed to shrink into herself at the attention.

The response Leliana gave was not in a language Ellana understood, but Cassandra seemed to and replied in kind. Seeing her confusion, Josephine leaned over and quietly explained that at this age, Cassandra would only be able to speak in her native tongue. Ellana nodded, unable to drag her eyes away from the tiny form of her fearsome colleague. It was hard to equate the strong, determined woman she knew with this fearful little girl. Somewhere in the back of her mind Ellana had imagined Cassandra to have been born as a fully formed adult, Seeker armour and pointy sword included.

"This is Josie and Ellana," Leliana told the girl.

"Oh! Yes," said Ellana quickly. Cassandra peered up at her curiously. "Hi, Cassandra." She held up a hand in a semi-wave.

"Hello, Lady Cassandra," said Josephine, offering the girl a kind smile. Cassandra frowned though, seemingly not caring for the title placed before her name. She said something to Leliana in Nevarran and it made the woman smile and Josephine giggle. Ellana shot a glance at the latter.

"You speak Nevarran?"

"At a conversational level," Josephine told her with a coy little smile. "Cassandra was asking if you are an elf. I think she wants to touch your ears."

Ellana had to laugh at that. "I'd rather she didn't." She already couldn't wait for Cassandra to get back to normal so she could poke fun at her for this. Maybe. She did still value her life so it would depend on what kind of mood the Seeker was in she supposed.

"Of course not, my Lady," Josephine acquiesced. Her eyes sparkled with good humour.

They turned back to the problem at hand just as Leliana finished explaining whatever it was she was talking about with little Cassandra. The girl looked sullen but less frightened of them than she had when they'd first arrived.

"Right, so does anybody have any idea what we're going to do with her?" Ellana asked. "If she doesn't speak our language we can't very well put her with the rest of the kids." She paused. "Can we?"

"Of course not," Leliana said. Then quieter, "And I don't think Cassandra would thank us for it later, no?" The frown on the girl's face deepened at the sound of her name and tone in which it was being uttered. Ellana's heart went out to her. She must be so confused. "Josie, is there anybody else in Skyhold who speaks Nevarran? Someone trustworthy."

Josephine thought for a moment. "Other than you and I? I am unsure."

"It's a bit late to start asking around for a babysitter," Ellana pointed out. "One of you will just have to take care of her tonight."

"The rookery is not a suitable place for a child," Leliana said quickly.

"I..." Josephine began, then she sighed gently. "Of course for one night I can keep an eye on our new houseguest."

That bottle of wine left open to breathe out on Ellana's balcony was looking further and further away but she forced her expression to remain neutral despite the disappointment brewing in her gut.

Hesitantly, Josephine passed her clipboard to Ellana and knelt down before the child and said something in halting Nevarran. Cassandra regarded her for a moment before shaking her head violently. Obviously, Ellana did not understand what the girl said in reply but the word 'Leliana' was unmistakable, as was the look of alarm on the woman's face.

"Well," said Ellana brightly as Cassandra buried her face in Leliana's purple robe. Her evening plans with Josephine were coming back into focus. "The kid has spoken. Looks like she's staying with you tonight, Sister Nightingale."

Josephine rose to her feet and looked between the two women. "Perhaps-"

"Very well, Inquisitor," said Leliana, her face now impassive.

"Excellent," replied Ellana, clapping her hands together. "I'm glad that's settled."


	2. Chapter 2

Since the very beginning of the Inquisition, whenever Leliana felt even close to reaching the end of her list of tasks, a hundred more would be piled on top of it. The work of a spymaster was endless and scandals and secrets waited for no woman no matter how much she wished it. Not that she was necessarily unhappy with her situation; it was better to keep her mind active to stop it from drifting to other things she'd rather not contemplate.

Leliana sighed and pushed her hood back so it fell around her shoulders. Even at the best of times it was difficult to hold all the threads of her spy network balanced in her head. One tug in the wrong place or at the wrong time could unravel everything she'd worked so hard to weave and that thought never strayed far from her mind, especially when it came to decision time. Now was not the best of times.

" _What are you doing_?" asked a small voice from behind her. Leliana pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. But of course.

" _Cassandra_ ," she replied in Nevarran. " _It is very late. Why aren't you in bed_?" It was indeed so late that none of her agents remained in the rookery and all her birds were fast asleep on their perches. It wouldn't last long; there was only a brief window during each night in which Leliana had the privacy of solitude. Sometimes she used that time to sleep; often she didn't.

There was a pause and Leliana opened her eyes and turned around in her chair so she was facing the child. The child who was Cassandra. The woman she'd spent the last five years working side by side with to serve their beloved Divine. If this was the Maker's will then he certainly had a strange sense of humour.

With a quick glance at the uncomfortable bedroll spread out on the floor, Cassandra bit her bottom lip and shrugged her shoulders. It was decidedly out of character, or at least it was for the adult version of this girl. " _I couldn't sleep_ ," she then said as she pulled at the coarse material of the children's nightdress Josephine had miraculously located before scurrying off with the Inquisitor. Leliana was under no illusions about how they'd spent the rest of their evening. Not to say she begrudged Josephine and even Lavellan some happiness in this dark time, because she didn't. She just hoped that Lavellan continued to heed her warnings because Herald or not if she hurt Josie then Leliana would destroy her.

" _I see_ ," said Leliana slowly. She looked around the rookery with a critical eye. Cassandra was obviously uncomfortable in there and Leliana couldn't blame her. She'd chosen this room for it's convenience, her own comfort be damned, and could admit that it was dark, drafty and the number of birds she had in there did no favours for the smell. The rickety railings around the large hole in the floor would hardly stop anyone from falling down and breaking their neck if they weren't careful enough. As she'd told the Inquisitor, this was no place for a child. Cassandra deserved better.

" _When is Anthony coming to get me_?" Cassandra asked, when no further response was forthcoming.

Pity gripped her heart and Leliana forced herself to smile. Again. When did something as simple as a smile become such a monumental task? " _I'm not certain, little one_ ," she said. Cassandra's face fell. " _I'm sure he'll come back for you as soon as he is able_." From a young age Leliana had been taught to use secrets and lies like currency. _It's only wrong if you get caught_ , a voice that sounded suspiciously like Marjolaine repeated in her head. But these lies...they tasted wrong in her mouth. She hoped Cassandra would be able to forgive her if she remembered this conversation later. False hope was a cruelty Leliana did not wish to inflict on her friend. If that's what they were. If not friends then something close to resembling it.

" _Okay_ ," said Cassandra sadly. She wrapped a pair of thin arms around herself and hung her head.

Leliana watched the girl for a moment before tilting her head to one side. " _Is there something else you need_?"

Cassandra hesitated as she gazed up at Leliana through dark eyelashes. " _Could you tell me a story_?"

There was no accounting for the way fear gripped at her heart at those six innocent little words. And why? Telling stories had been her passion for such a long time. But... " _Cassandra, I'm very busy_ ," she said, hating herself for it. She gestured at the letters piled up in front of her with the quill that rested in her hand.

" _Oh_ ," said Cassandra. The grip that she had on her own arms tightened and she stared at the floor. " _Okay. Sorry_."

Without another word, Cassandra skulked away from her and back to the thin bedroll. She curled herself into a trembling ball in the middle and then pulled the sheet over her head with one hand. Leliana sighed and rubbed her eyes. She would get no more work done tonight.

* * *

There was something of a spring in Ellana's step that morning. Tragically, Josephine had no longer been in her quarters when she'd awoken but there was a nice little note from her love resting on the pillow beside her head. Admittedly it had taken her a couple of tries to make out the words; Josephine had been teaching her to read in their downtime but it was slow-going. The ability to read wasn't considered a necessary skill for most of the Dalish but Josephine had insisted and well...any excuse to spend time with the ambassador really.

It was probably just her imagination, but even Skyhold itself reflected her good mood. The main hall was busier than usual and so far she'd only heard two petty arguments between masked Orlesians over living quarters and who ate the last bread roll at breakfast. Even Vivienne had nodded to her in greeting as she'd passed, which Ellana supposed was the best she could hope for from a woman with whom she fundamentally disagreed with on nearly everything.

She passed Varric's usual haunt and continued into Solas' room.

"Ah, Inquisitor," said the man as she entered, closing the door with a soft click behind her. He was sat in front of his desk leafing through a pile of papers with what looked a lot like Dorian's handwriting scrawled across it. "I was wondering when you'd stop by."

She stopped and offered him an easy smile. "Thought I'd better come and see how baby Cassandra is getting on with our fearsome spymaster." Not to say that she really thought Leliana would push the child off the balcony if she was irritated enough, but Ellana would be lying if she said the thought hadn't crossed her mind once or thrice.

"Quite," said Solas, inclining his head in agreement.

"Did you guys make any progress with the whole...turning her back into a grown-up thing last night?" she asked. "I don't mean to sound self-serving but I'm hearing rumours of a dragon nesting somewhere near one of our bases in the Hinterlands and Bull will _not_ leave me alone about the damn thing. I know it will annoy her but was hoping to take Cassandra with me considering she's the only member of the Inquisition who has ever even seen one." She paused. "Except for Leliana maybe. The archdemon was a dragon, right? Varric has probably seen one too if his stories of the Champion of Kirkwall are anything to go by...which I'm not convinced they are. Either way I'd rather Cassandra were there."

If Solas was put off at all by her endless chatter, his face didn't show it. "I believe the archdemon Urthemiel took the form of a dragon, yes," he told her. "In regards to the magic affecting Cassandra, so far we have made no headway."

"Of course we haven't," said Ellana with a sigh. "That would just be too easy, wouldn't it?"

"I'm sure it would, Inquisitor," Solas replied. His lip curled upwards before he became serious in that way he did whenever he was about to impart some sort of lesson to her. "The magic Dorian used was...unstable. Too unstable for the library where any member of the Inquisition could wander by and get caught in the crossfire."

"Well...yes. I think the Right Hand of the Divine being little more than a toddler right now is proof of that," said Ellana. "Are you saying you need a new workspace?"

"We already have one," Solas informed her. "Grand Enchanter Fiona has had some of her mages clear an unused area of Skyhold and put up protective barriers to hopefully stop any more wild magic escaping."

"Smart," said Ellana with a nod.

"I'll be headed over there soon to assist," Solas continued. "We may need some new research materials, however. Dorian knows of some literature in the Tenvinter Archives and libraries that may be of use."

"Of course," said Ellana. "If you get a list to me I'll ask Lady Montilyet to see what she can do."

"Thank you, Inquisitor. I'll bring it to you as soon as I've discussed the matter with Dorian, hopefully this afternoon."

It sounded like a dismissal and Ellana took it as such, saying goodbye to Solas and resuming her journey up the stairs to find Leliana and Cassandra. She didn't have to go far to locate them because as soon as she entered the library, something warm and solid crashed right into her stomach, sending her stumbling backwards onto the floor.

"OW!"

Above her, Cassandra babbled something and flapped her hands about. Ellana didn't understand a word of it but she could gather their meaning.

"Don't worry I'm fine," Ellana was quick to reassure the child, who very rapidly was approaching panic. Cassandra took a step back and held out her hands as though to stop Ellana from moving any closer to her. "It's okay."

"Cassandra!"

If the people in the library weren't staring at them yet, they certainly were now. Ellana hoped Leliana wasn't planning to keep this whole mishap a secret because gossip spread around Skyhold like wildfire and Seeker Pentaghast being reduced to a child was the most interesting thing that had happened in weeks. Ellana placed most of the blame for that on Varric and the Iron Bull. Complete gossip-mongers. Dorian wasn't much better either.

Leliana raced into view then, Josephine trailing worriedly behind her, hands clutching at a small collection of child's clothing. Cassandra turned around to see her pursuers, the look of a caged animal playing about her face. She glanced at the stairs behind Ellana but obviously calculated she'd never get past the elf whether she was still firmly on her rear or otherwise. Her slim shoulders slumped as she resigned herself to her fate.

When the two women reached them, Leliana dropped to her knees and gripped Cassandra by her arms. "Do not run off like that!" Then she caught herself and repeated the sentence in Nevarran.

Ellana turned her gaze to Josephine, who looked rather flustered as she tried to smooth down her clothes. "Problem?" she asked. She struggled to her feet and brushed dark red hair from her face. Josephine offered her a wan smile.

"It seems Lady Cassandra does not like the clothes I chose for her, Inquisitor," said Josephine regretfully. Ellana held out her hands to look at the offending items herself and stifled a laugh. They were all very... _Josephine_. Ruffles and silk and was that...yes, it was indeed a pretty pink dress.

"Where did you even get this?" Ellana asked. "I haven't seen many children running around Skyhold in petticoats." _They aren't very practical_ , she wanted to say but didn't because that abject look of disappointment on Josephine's face was already too much to bear.

"I've had a very productive morning," Josephine replied. She'd have to have done considering it was still two or three hours before midday. "Though..." She trailed off and they focused their attention to were Leliana was still admonishing Cassandra in that strange, guttural language. "I think next time I should tailor my efforts more specifically to the intended recipient." _You think? Have you never met Cassandra?_

"It was worth a try," said Ellana with a shrug. "She's being a bit melodramatic though, don't you think?"

Cassandra was eyeing the clothes in her hands now as though if she glared hard enough she might be able to set the whole sorry collection alight and have done with it.

"She claims to hate them," Josephine told her. "She would not even entertain the notion of trying them on."

"I don't know what you were expecting, Josie," Leliana chided, though not without humour. She had risen to her feet and had wrapped a single arm around Cassandra's shoulders, probably to stop the little hooligan from running off again. The contact seemed to please the child, however, and she leaned ever so slightly into the woman. "This is still Cassandra Pentaghast we're talking about. You're lucky she didn't make a grab for one of my knives and cut your pretty clothes into ribbons."

Josephine looked thoughtful. "The blue silk shirt would make such beautiful ribbons."

"It would," agreed Leliana, with a fond smile on her face more genuine that Ellana had ever seen from her. "They would go so perfectly with the pretty dress you wore to the Bouchard's summer party in Val Royeaux two years ago."

"The one with the lace trimmed neckline or the periwinkle buttons?"

"The lace trimmed. I used to have the most beautiful pair of powder blue shoes that would match that dress wonderfully."

Ugh. _Shems_. Ellana loved Josephine, but there was only so much of this inane conversation she could endure. And what even was periwinkle exactly? Suddenly she didn't blame poor Cassandra for making a mad dash for freedom.

"So basically we're going to need some different clothes," said Ellana, loud enough distract the two women from the conversation they were definitely on the cusp of boring her half to death with. What was the point in shoes made out of satin? She'd managed just fine in the forest for years without any shoes at all and even to her that choice of material seemed impractical. "Pants probably."

"It perhaps would be easier to borrow some clothes made for a little boy?" Leliana suggested.

Josephine looked most put out but she nodded in agreement. "Of course, Leliana. I shall get to it as soon as I can." There was a hapless sort of look on Leliana's face when she nodded that Josephine seemed to notice. "Perhaps I can take Cassandra with me and she can select her own garments?"

"Yes," said Leliana. Then her pale cheeks turned pink at the embarrassing speed at which she'd replied. Ellana couldn't hold back a laugh.

"Babysitting not all it's cracked up to be?" she asked.

Leliana smiled apologetically. "It is very hard to get anything done under the constant worry of a certain someone accidentally falling through the hole in the rookery floor. I've had my agents keep an eye on her but I can't help but feel their time would be better spent elsewhere." She then turned her attention to Cassandra and said something to her in Nevarran. The lack of being able to understand what they were saying was already starting to grate on Ellana's nerves. She couldn't even imagine how difficult it must be for Cassandra.

At first, Cassandra shook her head, but then Josephine inserted herself into the conversation and held out a hand for the girl to take, which she did but with no small amount of hesitation first.

"Thank you," Leliana breathed.

"It is no problem, my friend," said Josephine. It was a problem but never mind. What else could they do? "I will see about finding someone who can take care of her until this...accident has been rectified." With that, she bade farewell to Leliana and Ellana and then led Cassandra from the library, though not before the kid looked desperately back at Leliana for approval. Quite what she thought sweet, beautiful Josephine was going to do to her that frightened her so Ellana wasn't sure. Force her into a cornflower blue bouffant gown maybe.

"I think she's imprinted on you," said Ellana when they were gone.

"Excuse me?" said Leliana. Her brows contracted in the middle making her look particularly hawk like.

"Once my clan made camp by this cute little pond a few miles away from Kirkwall that was full of ducks. In the spring one of them gave birth to a little group of baby ducks and Amras, our clan's main cook, was there at the time. He was the first thing those little ducklings saw and from then on they followed him everywhere he went like they were tethered to him by a piece of string. Drove him mad because I'm sure he just wanted to eat them but the Keeper wouldn't let him. They thought he was their mother I guess." Ellana ended her story with what she deemed a very graceful shoulder shrug.

"Cassandra is not a duckling," said Leliana. "And I am certainly not her mother."

"I know that," Ellana huffed. "I'm just saying...you were there when she woke up in this unfamiliar place. In her head she's turned you into her protector. Her safe place maybe. Everyone around her is speaking this funny language and all her family are gone. Can you blame her for wanting to stay close to you?"

On that note, Ellana said goodbye to the troubled looking spymaster and went about her day.


	3. Chapter 3

To say Josephine was at her wits end would be an understatement. With her years of practice at coddling erratic nobles and reasoning with the most stubborn politicians, she'd assumed taking care of a six year old version of the Seeker would be a challenge at first, but nothing she couldn't rise to meet. She quickly realised this wasn't the case after Cassandra point blank refused to try on yet another skirt that Josephine had managed to locate. Well thought out rationales, a few compliments and such a winning smile would have had any other human, elf, dwarf or qunari eating out of the palm of her hand; but oh no, not Cassandra Pentaghast. Why discuss something when there were feet to be stamped and arms to be crossed? Stubbornness had not been a trait the woman had learned with age.

Pressure was building behind her eyes promising an incapacitating headache later on, the likes of which she usually only suffered with after too many sleepless nights and twelve too many urgent reports to read.

She could already tell it was going to be a very long day.

There was a tentative knock on the door of her office, gentle but to Josephine it sounded like Iron Bull had taken his enormous hammer to her skull. Perhaps she shouldn't have let Ellana convince her to drink that third glass of wine last night. She must learn to resist that crooked smile.

"Enter," she said. Cassandra stopped scribbling by the fire to watch the proceedings.

It was a woman Josephine didn't recognise. Short, ginger hair, so most likely a denizen of Ferelden. Cheap and well worn jewellery adorned her neck and fingers. Unused to speaking with nobility and dressed for the occasion? The sharp cheekbones and coarse skin of someone who had endured too many harsh winters. Mentally, Josephine filed away all these little details.

"Good afternoon," she said, with a smile she didn't quite feel. "How can I help you, serah?"

In her hands the woman held what looked like a pile of beige and brown rags. "Lady Montilyet? I heard you were looking for clothes that would fit a six year old?" Ferelden accent. Somewhere near Denerim or possibly further north.

Josephine laid down her quill. "That is correct, my lady," she said. Her eyes drifted to where Cassandra watched them both with suspicion. After the dress incident the little girl didn't seem to trust Josephine at all. She wouldn't even let Josephine brush her hair, mussed from her escape attempt in the library. It was regrettable.

"I heard that the Seeker had been caught in an accident but I didn't believe it," said the woman with interest.

Josephine cleared her throat. "Quite." The woman jumped to attention and blushed. The glint in her eye didn't dim, however, and Josephine was certain this story would be spread around Skyhold the second the woman left her office. One of Josephine's many skills included her infallible ability to spot a gossip. It had proven useful on more than one occasion.

"Anyway, I have these." She stepped forward to gently lay down the garments on Josephine's desk. The blush remained high on her cheeks. "I know they're not much. They belonged to my son but he outgrew them months ago."

Josephine smiled politely. "Thank you, Lady..?"

"Just call me Jules," replied the woman. She bit down on her bottom lip and looked over again at Cassandra. "Jethro, that's my son, watches her sparring matches with the qunari sometimes. I think he's her biggest fan. His friends play "Inquisition" sometimes, you know." Josephine didn't know. "It doesn't matter how many times I've asked him to stop, Jethro always rubs lines of dirt or ink on his face to match the Seeker's scars and then challenges the other children to duels in a terrible Nevarran accent. Most of the kids fight over who gets to play the Inquisitor, but not Jethro. I'm not sure if he wants to _be_ the Seeker or marry her."

Josephine laughed. "That is quite adorable."

The woman looked pleased with herself and nodded. "One of the girls plays you too, you know?"

"Is that so?" Josephine was both pleased and surprised. For just a moment her throbbing headache was forgotten.

"Yeah. Cute little thing. One of the mage kids. She doesn't like all the play fighting; would rather stay in the little classroom they have and read her books. She tells the others she's the Lady Ambassador so they won't drag her outside but she's still part of the game. Jethro's teacher told me that sometimes if the kids have a falling out they go to her and she passes judgement on their squabbles and tells them to play nice."

"Oh my," said Josephine, unable to keep the smile from her face. "That is...a crude way of describing my work here but not an entirely inaccurate one. It's good to know the children appreciate my role in the Inquisition."

"Of course, Lady Montilyet," said Jules. Then she smiled again, revealing a crooked set of teeth. "Jethro is going to be beside himself when he finds out his hero will be wearing his old clothes. I can't wait to tell him."

At this point, Cassandra seemed to become bored of waiting to find out what was going on and rose to her feet, leaving the piece of graphite and paper she'd been using on the floor.

"Then I shall keep you no longer, ah... _Jules_ ," said Josephine, with haste and not speed. There was no telling what Cassandra might do if she did not like this new set of clothes and it wouldn't do to have residents of Skyhold being personally offended by core members of the Inquisition, child or not. "Thank you for the clothes. They are much appreciated and I will see to it you are compensated."

"Thank you, Lady Montilyet," said the woman, accepting the dismissal and leaving. Josephine sighed with relief when the door shut with a quiet _snap_ behind her.

" _Is something happening_?" asked Cassandra. _No rest for the wicked, Josephine_. Leliana had told her that once and never had it seemed more true.

Josephine forced a smile. " _Not at all, Cassandra. We just located some more clothes for you_."

Sceptical, Cassandra reached forward with her stubby little fingers and pulled the garments off the desk. Josephine held her breath. She may not necessarily like the raggedy pants and shirt, but Cassandra could not continue to wander around Skyhold in the nightclothes she'd acquired last night. It just didn't present the desired image to which the Inquisition aimed.

" _Okay_ ," Cassandra said after a moment of inspection.

" _Okay_?" Josephine repeated. " _You will...change your clothes_?"

" _Yes. I don't mind these ones_ ," said Cassandra. " _They aren't frilly_."

Josephine almost wept with relief. " _Thank you_."

" _Then can I go and see Leliana_?" Cassandra asked hopefully.

At that Josephine paused. Honestly, she would like nothing more than take Cassandra to Leliana but something held her back. She'd done almost no work at all this morning because her young charge required constant attention so it would make sense to pass the torch back to her friend, but today Leliana had not seemed...well. There had been dark smudges under her eyes that her makeup had not been able to cover and her skin was as pale as it had been immediately after Divine Justinia's death. Keeping herself cooped up in that dark tower had done no favours for her complexion, of course, but Josephine suspected it was something more. Not that Leliana would any longer confide her troubles in Josephine beyond the superficial.

She worried for her friend and did not wish to add to the already sizable burdens weighing on her mind and her heart.

Putting on the diplomat's smile she wore like a mask, Josephine held out a hand for Cassandra to take. " _Perhaps, Lady Pentaghast. Now why don't we go and find somewhere for you to change_?"

It was with only minimal resistance that Cassandra followed Josephine out of the stuffy office and through Skyhold to her bedroom to change her clothes. Word had spread about the Seeker's mishap so they attracted a lot of attention on the journey both there and back again with no fewer than four people under the guise of very important diplomatic questions wandering over to gawk at the child. Cassandra was obviously unhappy with the attention and her grasp on Josephine's hand tightened.

* * *

As always, Ellana didn't bother knocking before entering Josephine's office. She never really saw the point of doors anyway. Forests didn't have doors and her people managed just fine...with the exception of a few unfortunate deaths every winter that was. Perhaps the Dalish should look into finding some for the colder months of the year to spare their elderly, though without buildings to affix them too they wouldn't be much help. Foiled once again.

"Hello, my Lady," said Josephine, a tired smile adorning her face. Ellana grinned back and ambled over to stand in front of the desk.

"Hello, my Ambassador," she replied. Then she turned her head to greet Cassandra, who sat on the floor with a quill and piece of paper in front of her and looking more bored than any child she ever have to endure. "Hey there, Cassandra."

"Hello, _In-quis-i-tor_ ," said Cassandra slowly. She looked to Josephine who clapped her hands together in appreciation.

" _Very good, Lady Pentaghast_ ," Josephine replied, and Cassandra smiled, pleased with herself.

"I see you've had a fun day," Ellana observed. Writing _and_ elocution lessons; lucky six year old. If Josephine sensed the sarcasm she chose to ignore it.

There was a short pause before Josephine answered. "We got off to something of a rocky start," she admitted with reluctance. "It appears Skyhold does not cater very well to children. I shall look into rectifying the situation when I have a moment."

"When do you _ever_ have a moment?" Ellana asked. "You don't even leave this office for food anymore. If I didn't bring you snacks throughout the day you'd barely eat at all."

"I will make time for this," Josephine insisted. "The children are important."

"I know I know," said Ellana, affection making her heart beat just a little faster. "I just don't want you to wear yourself out. I worry for you." Come to think of it, her love was looking just a little frazzled today. Was that a hair out of place she could see? Perhaps they shouldn't have stayed up so late last night.

"Oh," said Josephine. She bowed her head and toyed with the quill between her fingers nervously. "Thank you, your worship."

Ellana laughed. "Josephine, after you've spent the night in someone's bed I think sometimes formalities can be dropped. We've seen each other naked, more than once I might add."

"Inquisitor!" Josephine said, scandalised. Ellana just smirked. "Behave yourself. We are at work and that is not professional."

"There's nobody here!" Ellana protested. "Except Cassandra but I doubt she'll be reporting this conversation she doesn't understand a word of back to the Inquisiton. Isn't that right, Cass?"

The girl looked up and her eyebrows contracted. " _Cassandra_ ," she corrected vehemently. Ellana forced herself not to smile. The Seeker had responded in much the same way the last time Ellana had attempted to call her 'Cass' too.

"Not in a better mood today, I see?" Ellana said.

"No," Josephine said regretfully, though she seemed grateful for the change in subject. "I do not think she wishes to be here with me. I can hardly blame her. She should be out playing with the other children, but alas that is not possible. We did go for a walk earlier to locate some new clothes but she did not seem to like the attention she received on the journey. It is better she stay with someone who can keep her safe."

"I suppose so," Ellana agreed. Still, it was a shame to keep the poor kid cooped up when she could be out playing. It would have been nice to give Cassandra some fun memories to keep when the spell reversed because goodness knows she needed to lighten up sometimes. "Has she been much trouble?"

"No," replied Josephine instinctively. She wavered. "However, I have completed very little work with her here."

"Time to foist her back to our spymaster then?"

Though clearly reluctant, Josephine nodded her head. Ellana couldn't help but wonder about the hesitation. "I believe that is what Cassandra would prefer anyway. She has been asking for Le-" - she stopped and then took a different track, obviously not wishing to attract Cassandra's attention - "The Left Hand all day."

"Would you go as far as to say the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing?"

Josephine shot her a withering glance and Ellana grinned. She'd spent months trying to find a way to slip that into a conversation. "You are incorrigible, my Lady."

"You like it though, right?" said Ellana.

Josephine merely offered her a bland smile.

"Ah...never mind," she said. "She's on her way here anyway." At Josephine's questioning look she nodded. "Cullen is coming too. I'm here for a meeting. Did I not tell you?"

"No, Inquisitor, you did not." Oops.

"Ah...sorry. I wanted you and Le...the spymaster to try and get some books from Tevinter for Dorian. Solas tried to explain what they are to me when he gave me the list but all I really got from it was time travel voodoo and something something something Fade. Usually I just nod and look quizzical in the right places and it seems to please him whether I actually understand what he's saying or not," Ellana said. Thankfully, Josephine looked amused. Crisis averted.

"I hope you do not treat me the same way, your worship," Josephine said. It was said in a gentle, offhand tone but even Ellana knew it was a trap of some kind.

"I promise if Solas was anywhere close to being as beautiful as you, I would hang on his every word just as I do yours, Lady Montilyet."

Josephine attempted to hide the flush on her face by shuffling the papers around on her desk as though suddenly very busy. _Nailed it_ , thought Ellana smugly.

"I was not aware your head was so easily turned by a pretty face," Josephine remarked. _Or not_.

She was rescued from trying to navigate this minefield by the convenient arrival of Cullen. He entered the room as he always did when he wasn't angry about something, slowly with a sort of apologetic look on his face like he wasn't sure he should be there. Ellana wasn't sure how such a big man could look like he felt so small. Or maybe he wasn't so big. Most humans felt tall to her, though she was starting to adjust to the race differences between the many residents of Skyhold. It was certainly more diverse here than with her clan.

"Good afternoon, Commander." Of course Josephine was the first person in the room to extend a greeting, wielding politeness like Ellana wielded her blades.

Instantly, Cassandra was on her feet. For a moment, Ellana thought the girl was scared of their visitor and was getting ready to make a run to Josephine for protection. Bizarrely, she did the exact opposite.

"Well...this is different," Cullen said awkwardly, as Cassandra crossed the room and planted herself in front of him to stare at him intently. "I...What is she doing?"

His question was answered when Cassandra reached forward to run her fingers over the grip of the sword that hung from his waist with a look of abject fascination on her face.

Ellana couldn't help but laugh. "We probably should have seen this coming. I heard her tell Sera once that she'd been training to be a Seeker from the age of six. Seems we're right on target."

"Do not let her play with that sword, Commander," Josephine said with warning in her tone.

Cullen's cheeks turned pink. "I wasn't going to," he said in a way that very much suggested otherwise. "If I _did_ let her it would only be to show some of my men that even at the age of six, Cassandra Pentaghast can still outmatch them in battle. They need a good kick in the rear. They're becoming complacent now that our forces have grown in number."

"You will wait until she is at least taller than the sword you expect her to use," Josephine replied sternly.

Looking rather like a kicked puppy, Cullen sighed and nodded his head. "As you wish, Lady Montilyet."

Cassandra had been watching the exchange with rapt attention and seemed to realised the result had not been in her favour if the harried sigh she let out and the slump in her shoulders were anything to go by. Tomorrow they'd have to find _something_ for the kid to entertain herself with because this was just mean.

As with most children, Cassandra's bad mood didn't last too long. Not when her new-found hero made her way into Josephine's office seconds later.

"Leliana!" Cassandra cried. She let go of Cullen's sword and raced over to where the spymaster was conversing in low voices with two of her agents. She dismissed them both with a wave of her hand and focused her attention to the ball of energy rushing towards her.

Ellana noticed that the smile she gave the child did not quite reach her eyes. "Hello, Cassandra," she said.

Cassandra made like she was going to hug the woman but then changed her mind at the last second and stopped abruptly. Instead, she started rapid firing Nevarran and Leliana's expression softened into something a little more natural as she responded in kind. How long does a person have to keep herself locked away in a tower with only birds and spies to talk to to forget how to converse with normal people? If Cassandra could ever be considered 'normal people' that was...which Ellana doubted.

"She's asking Leliana for sword fighting lessons," Josephine said quietly in her ear. Ellana turned her head and saw the woman had come to stand just behind her. "Leliana said she'd see what she can do." She paused for a moment. "I suppose we could locate a wooden sword for her to practice with."

"She needs a way to work out some of this excess energy," Ellana agreed. Cassandra was literally bouncing on the balls of her feet as she spoke.

With a longsuffering sigh, Josephine inclined her head. "The Seeker has never been very adept at remaining still."

"There are scores of headless test dummies in one of the storage sheds that support that assessment," Cullen said wryly. "I'll see what I can do about a practice sword."

* * *

Exhaustion was starting to it's toll on her and she knew it. One of her agents had already found himself on the wrong side of Leliana's mood in the form of a long paper cut across his hand where she'd snatched a piece of parchment from him. She'd noticed the hiss of pain but had not deigned to acknowledge it. What was written on the scroll was of much greater concern to her.

Several of her scouts were missing.

The paper crumpled between her fingers and her mind whirred through possibilities. They had so many enemies now. She personally had too many enemies to count. She didn't doubt the scouts themselves have enemies that could be responsible. It was possible the whole lot of them had just upped and abandoned their mission. She quickly discarded that last thought. Nobody would be fool enough to betray Sister Nightingale, especially the people who worked for her and knew the extent of her reach and the swiftness of her unforgiving blade.

She would need to send some letters and speak to Harding before she made any decisions. Then there was the other matter to attend to...

"Caw caw!"

Leliana smiled faintly at Cassandra's attempt to replicate the birdcalls as she ran around the rookery, flapping her arms wildly. Her amusement very quickly faded as she was interrupted again by yet another of her agents. He twitched as her attention turned to him but to his credit stood his ground. He was new to the fold and still very much afraid of Sister Nightingale.

"Yes?" she snapped, when he made no move to address her.

The tips of his pointed ears turned red at being prompted and he bowed his head. "Ser Pavus wishes to speak with you in the library," he said quickly. "He said it's quite urgent."

"It is always 'quite urgent'," Leliana replied, but she put the offending scroll containing the details of her missing scouts down on her desk and pushed it to the back of her mind as she rose to her feet. Briefly, Cassandra stopped flapping to look at her, concerned. " _Do not worry, little one. I will be back very soon_." That seemed to be enough reassurance and Cassandra went back to whatever game it was she was playing.

Dorian was lounging in an arm chair with what appeared to be one of Josephine's notebooks in his lap in his usual spot in the library when she found him. He had the air of a man who knew that what he was about to say was going to anger someone but thought if he played it off with a dismissive wave of his hand he might trick the other person into reacting the same way. It was a strategy that might work with some people.

Somewhere above her, the ravens began to squawk.

"Leliana," said Dorian with a smile as though he hadn't just summoned her down there. "What a pleasant surprise." The returning smile she gave him was cold. She was in no mood for Dorian's games today. "Ah...yes." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"What can I do for you, Ser Pavus?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"I thought of a few more...items that may be of use to us in our attempt to restore the delightful Lady Pentaghast," Dorian replied. Leliana nodded slowly. After much deliberation in the War Room it had been decided that Josephine's diplomacy would be adequate to retrieve the books from the libraries of Tevinter, the documents in the archives, however, would be better approached with Leliana's particular...talents. Dorian assured them that his country would be far more willing to temporarily part with literature than reports and documents of a more mysterious nature. The archives were much more likely to contain information that the magisters of Tevinter would be unwilling to share.

"Very well," Leliana replied. Dorian pulled a folded scrap of paper from his robes and handed it to her. She scanned down the list and frowned. " _Absolument pas_!"

As though in response to their owner's displeasure, both the birds upstairs in the rookery and Cassandra's crowing became a little more frantic. Dorian paused in bewilderment at the racket but then pinned Leliana with his most charming smile. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She didn't actually dislike Dorian but he really needed to learn to pick his moments better. Shortly after he'd turned an integral part of the Inquisition into a child and when she was already so close to the end of her tether was not a good time to try and trick her into doing him favours.

"The additional power that-"

"I said no," Leliana cut him off. "You found a way to do this to Cassandra and you will find a way to fix it without any _'additional power'_. We're trying to reverse a spell; not start a war with the Tevinter Imperium." Dorian opened his mouth to protest but Leliana refused to allow it. "Which is _exactly_ what will happen if I send my agents on this fool errand to-"

The intolerable cacophony of bird cries rose in volume and Leliana stopped herself mid-sentence as her eyes drifted upward.

"They aren't usually so loud," Dorian commented, visibly relieved that she was no longer scolding him.

"No," Leliana agreed, turning on her heel abruptly. "You will do without any of the objects you have asked for. I will see what I can do about the papers." She threw it over her shoulder as she stalked back towards her tower. She should have known better than to leave Cassandra alone up there. Maker knew what she had done to cause such a reaction amongst the ravens.

As she ascended the stairs, the bird calls seemed to trail away. Rather than calming her rapidly bating heart, it somehow worried her all the more. Could anything else go wrong today? Leliana rolled her eyes at herself. _Of course it could_. _Why tempt fate, Leliana_?

She reached the top of the stairs and froze in shock. Somehow during the brief conversation she'd had with Dorian, Cassandra had opened every single one of her birdcages and not one of her messenger birds remained in sight. She opened her mouth wordlessly as her eyes darted around the room.

The door leading to the battlements was open. The lack of noise made sense to her with a sudden and jarring clarity.

"Leliana?"

She took a deep breath and switched her gaze to the small girl looking up at her with guilt written all over her face.

" _Cassandra Pentaghast_!" Leliana snapped. The girl's eyes widened with fear and she took a step backwards. " _Why did you do this_?"

" _I_..." Cassandra stammered over her words. " _I didn't mean_... _I'm sorry_."

" _No! You are not sorry_ ," said Leliana. She shook her head and pursed her lips. She would not be manipulated by the growing tears in the girl's eyes; it was a tactic she'd seen many times. " _You had better pray they come back_."

" _I'm sorry, Leliana_ ," Cassandra sniffled. " _I didn't think they'd fly away. I just wanted to play with them_."

Leliana let out a low, slow breath and tried to quell the angry shaking of her hands. _She is only a child,_ she told herself. " _Just...sit in the corner and be quiet. I need to find another way to send this message and then we can talk_." Before she could say something she'd really regret, she turned her back and headed over to her desk. A few calming breaths and then she'd be able to sort out this mess. The birds would come back eventually.

She didn't even notice Cassandra bolt for the door.


	4. Chapter 4

"Come on, Josephine," Ellana wheedled.

"My answer is no."

"But it would be a like a test! I bet you love tests," Ellana continued. For a moment Josephine looked amused but it didn't last very long. Ellana knew she was right though. She'd put money on Josephine being to total nerd in school. If she went to school...That was a shem thing, right? She probably had personal tutors.

"A test of what, exactly, my lady?" she asked. "Who can be the most absurd member of the Inquisition perhaps?"

"No! A test of...elven prowess of course." Josephine smiled indulgently and leaned back in her chair. In front of them, the fire crackled merrily in the hearth with a pot hung just above it while they waited for the water to boil. One of Josephine's new diplomatic conquests had sent over candied fruits and a type of tea that Ellana had never tried before so they had decided to spend the evening in Josephine's office to taste everything. "Besides, we all know the most absurd member of the Inquisition is Cullen."

"Cullen?" Josephine questioned, dubious. Ellana could practically see Sera dancing across Josephine's vision.

"Cullen. A couple of days ago I caught him with a little tub of wax. You know the kind people use on their hair? Pretended for all the world that it wasn't his. It was ' _for a friend_ ' he said." Josephine covered her mouth as she giggled. "When I asked him what his friend's name is he looked wildly about the room before telling me it was 'Ser Walls' and I've never met him but he is definitely a real person. I might not have Leliana's mastery of deception but even _I_ know that one was a total lie."

Josephine's chuckling faded and she shook her head fondly. "Our poor commander."

"Anyway, to get back to the subject at hand..."

"No, Ellana! I absolutely forbid you to try and land on Solas' desk by throwing yourself from the rookery!"

"But-" A brief but furious knocking on the office door stopped Ellana mid-sentence. "Oh that can't be good."

Before she could get up, the door was thrown open by a...very frantic looking Leliana. Her hood was half way down her head and her hair was in disarray as though she'd been running. Her face easily displayed the most emotion Ellana had ever seen from the woman. Whatever was making the spymaster react in this way must be really bad.

"Leliana! What on earth is wrong?" Josephine said.

"I can't find Cassandra anywhere!" Leliana's eyes darted around the room as though she expected the girl to be hiding somewhere around the office.

Josephine was up in a split-second. "Oh my. How long has she been missing?"

The look of guilt on Leliana's face was unmistakable. "I am unsure. Half an hour perhaps. I have searched the rookery and the library but she isn't there and nobody seems to have seen her."

"Okay," said Ellana, also rising to her feet. "She can't have gone far."

Leliana looked like she was about to argue, like she'd been through a thousand scenarios in her head already about where Cassandra may be and almost all of them involved her having wandered _very_ far. With obvious struggle, she bit back whatever remark she had been about to make and simply nodded her head.

"Don't worry, Leliana," Josephine said kindly. She patted her friend on the shoulder and Leliana pulled away awkwardly. If Josephine was hurt by that she didn't show it. "We will find her."

* * *

Cassandra really wished she'd paid more attention to where Josephine had taken her earlier because she'd left Leliana less than five minutes ago and already she was well and truly lost. She huffed and folded her arms. _Good_. She didn't want to be found anyway. Not that anybody would be looking for her. Nobody seemed to want her around so why should she want to be around them? Josephine had acted like she wanted Cassandra to be with her but then she'd spent most of the day writing things and pretending she wasn't exasperated when Cassandra tried to talk to her. What was the point in writing things anyway? What good had words ever done anybody? Stupid writing.

She sighed and shivered in the cold night air; the borrowed clothes she was wearing were thinner than her most of the things in her own wardrobe. Why hadn't Anthony or her governess packed any of her own things for this trip? More importantly, why didn't she even remember the trip? Maybe it was one of Anthony's secret missions that he couldn't tell her about and he had to leave in a hurry so he carried her while she was sleeping. Yes. That must have been it. He wouldn't have just _forgotten_ about her.

Unwanted tears filled her eyes and she rubbed at them with her chilled fingers. She wouldn't cry. She was a big girl now. Anthony said so.

There was a scuffling sound somewhere ahead of her and Cassandra pushed herself against the stone corridor wall, deep into the shadow. The people in this place were all really odd. They stared at her and muttered about her in their strange language like she couldn't hear them. She hated not knowing what was going on.

Less than a minute later, two dwarves walked past in animated discussion. Well, more accurately one dwarf walked while the other dwarf gripped at her hand and tried to drag her along all the while babbling rapidly with more excitement than Cassandra thought possible. She held her breath until the two women passed her by. If they recognised her they'd just take her back to Josephine or Leliana...and Leliana was really mad at her right now.

Cassandra sniffed and clenched her hands into tiny fists. She didn't need Leliana. She could look after herself.

The hall was silent again so Cassandra left her dark corner and continued her journey. She wasn't sure where she was headed but she figured if she walked for long enough she'd find somewhere to hide out until Anthony came to get her. Maybe somewhere close to the kitchen if she could manage it. The dinner she'd been given earlier wasn't anywhere near as fancy as the things she ate in her uncle's house but she enjoyed it. It was hot and tasty and nothing was shaped to look like a swan, making it more complicated to eat than food needed to be.

She stopped in front of a large, wooden door. It was especially cold here and she could feel a draft blowing at her skin. Would anybody think to look for her outside? Probably not. She pushed at the door and stepped out into what looked like a garden. Thankfully it was empty.

The moon hung low in the sky in the sky that night, looking like the ominous smile her uncle wore whenever he was about to do something horrifying like bringing another corpse to life. She shivered and looked away from it. Her uncle and his necromancy were far away from her here so she was safe. She hadn't smelled the sunflower scented perfume that lingered around the Necropolis on anyone's clothes in Skyhold so presumably everyone here was living. Actually living that was. Not the living dead that Nevarran nobles seemed to favour over even their own family in some cases.

Cassandra approached the biggest looking tree in the garden and inspected it. It would do for now, she decided, turning around and leaning against the bark just to slide down it until she was sat. She let out a weary sigh, pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She wondered if Leliana was looking for her yet. Would Leliana even care she was gone?

No, she told herself. Don't think about Leliana. She tried to distract herself by watching her breath come out of her mouth in puffs of cloud. It worked for only a minute or so before her eyes started to fill with tears again. She bent forward and pressed her face into her knees and let out a muffled sob. It wasn't _fair_. She didn't mean to let the birds fly away. Her slim shoulders shook as she finally surrendered herself to the tears she'd been fighting against for the last hour.

She was completely unprepared when a voice sounded from beside her. " _Hello_." Cassandra almost jumped out of her skin in shock. " _I'm Cole. Do you need some help_?"

* * *

They'd searched the entire main building of Skyhold and Cassandra was nowhere to be found. Ellana was beginning to worry. She didn't think the kid could have escaped Skyhold and really would Cassandra have even tried to do so? It was freezing on top of those mountains. Still, it wasn't good for her to be wandering around alone at night and the fact that nobody had seen her was troubling.

If Ellana was worried though, then Leliana was downright distraught. She stalked the stronghold like a woman possessed. Ellana had seen more than one person dive for cover at the sight of Sister Nightingale prowling the halls like she was out for blood and she didn't even blame them; she was more than a little frightened herself. Already Leliana had made one of her own agents almost wet himself with terror because he'd had the audacity to not have seen Cassandra all day. She'd tried to fire him from his job on the spot but Josephine had talked her down and she'd merely sent him off with a warning. The woman had lost her mind.

They had just finished searching the Undercroft, to no avail of course. Dagna had been less than helpful and Ellana was half convinced she had been drinking if the blush on her cheeks and slightly glazed look in her eyes was anything to go by.

"...and quite what Harding thought she was doing lurking behind the pillar at the far end of the room as though she imagined I couldn't see her, I do not know," Leliana said as they reached the top of the stairs and pushed open the door back into the main hall.

Ellana stopped walking, causing Josephine to almost walk straight into her. "Wait...Scout Harding was down there?"

With a bemused look cast back over her shoulder, Leliana nodded her head. "Yes, Inquisitor. She was."

"I believe she and Dagna are...courting?" said Josephine, curiosity colouring her voice.

Leliana's lips curled into a sly grin. " _Secretly_ courting, Josie." Her smile faded and she turned back around to keep walking. Ellana pushed away her astonishment at this piece of news to follow her as she stood beside the throne. Ugh. She hated that thing.

The Undercroft was the last place in the building that Cassandra could have been. Well...shit. She must be outside somewhere. Or just very good at hiding.

"We will have to search the grounds," said Josephine after a moment of awkward silence.

"Yes. Of course," said Leliana. She sounded exhausted when she added, "We'll find her."

"And when we do she'll probably be outside punching trees or...bears maybe," Ellana said.

"I...is that a euphemism for something, your worship? I'm afraid I do not quite follow," said Josephine.

"Oh! Well you see we were in the Hinterlands and-" She was distracted by the main doors to the hall being pushed open and Dorian striding in with a pleased look on his face. "I'll tell you later. Hey! Dorian!" The mage looked over at them and changed his trajectory to approach the three women.

"Inquisitor, just the woman I was looking for," said Dorian, as he drew level with them. "Leliana. Lady Montilyet."

"Good evening, Ser Pavus," Josephine greeted. "You have news?"

"As a matter of fact I do," said Dorian. "I believe we have made something of a breakthrough with the magic affecting the lady Seeker."

"That's good," said Ellana, relieved. The sooner they could get the proper Cassandra back the better for everyone involved. Particularly Leliana. Ellana was beginning to worry for her mental health. "Speaking of Cassandra...I don't supposed you've seen her this evening?"

"Why yes of course, Inquisitor. Right in between the dangerous magical testing in a locked room with no windows I found the time to squeeze in a little babysitting," Dorian said with a wry smirk. His mirth didn't last long.

Faster than Ellana would have thought possible, Leliana darted forward and grasped the mage by the front of his robes, pulling him down so they were face to face. Dorian yelped in surprise and struggled to free himself.

"Leliana!"

"Answer the question!"

"I haven't seen her! Come on now. Don't you think this is a little melo-" He was cut off when Leliana shook him violently.

Finally coming to her senses, Ellana stepped forward and gripped Leliana around the waist. She put up a weak struggle but allowed herself to be pulled away from a now terrified looking Dorian. "Calm down, Leliana," Ellana said, as she exchanged a nervous look with Josephine. "You can demonstrate your ability to rip off a man's head with your bare hands later."

Leliana relaxed in Ellana's arms and for an alarming moment looked like she was about to cry. Ellana's heart lurched with panic. Oh no. She wasn't good with crying people. Before she could look to Josephine for help Leliana had already pulled herself together and stood up straight, brushing away the hands holding her back like they were nothing more than errant wrinkles in her usually immaculate clothing. The transformation was quite startling.

"You know, I'm beginning to feel like the victim of bullying here," said Dorian, as he straightened up and fixed his collar.

"Shut up, Dorian," Ellana shot back. She wouldn't be held responsible if Leliana lunged for his throat this time. Dorian let out a longsuffering sigh.

"As you wish, Inquisitor. If anybody needs me I'll be in the library." He stalked away, head held high. Ellana supposed she'd have to go and apologise to him for this later...but honestly what was he expecting to happen when he decided sarcasm was the way to go with a woman who was already apoplectic with rage.

"Leliana," Josephine said, quietly so her friend would be forced to respond in kind.

" _What_?" Leliana's eyes flashed dangerously.

"This is not Ser Pavus' fault, you know."

"Well," Ellana said, "I wouldn't go that far. I mean he did cast the spell that-" At the expression on Josephine's face she stopped speaking abruptly. "Ah...what I meant to say was that Josephine is saying things and I agree with all of it. Please, carry on, my sweet Antivan goddess."

Josephine's lip quirked upwards and she shook her head. Leliana on the other hand was rolling her eyes so hard Ellana could see nought but white.

"As I was saying, you have been rather..." Josephine briefly hesitated. "Out of sorts, lately, but perhaps unleashing your anger on-"

"It's my fault Cassandra is gone."

_A beat_. "I'm sure that isn't the case, Leliana."

Leliana let out a deep breath and then covered her face with her hands. "Oh, Josie, but it is. I...lost my temper with her. I left her alone in the rookery and she released all my messenger birds." And if Cassandra wasn't already sort of Ellana's hero then she certainly was now. Would it be wrong to pray to the Creators that the winged beasts not return? "I shouted at her and told her to sit in the corner...I wasn't paying attention to her and by the time I turned back she was gone. How could I be so stupid!"

A small, breathy _oh_ left Josephine's lips. Ellana tried to catch her eye but her attention was solely on the distressed spymaster. "Oh, Leliana." Josephine reached forward and grasped Leliana's wrist to pull her hands from her face. "Look at me." Leliana raised her head, blinking her wet eyes rapidly. "You are not responsible for this. We will find Cassandra. All will be well. Do you understand me?" She squeezed Leliana's hands tightly. "Yes?"

"Yes, Josie," Leliana conceded. "Of course."

* * *

They searched unsuccessfully for another two hours. Her agents were combing Skyhold but so far nobody had returned with good news and Leliana was running out of ideas. Cassandra could be lying with a broken neck at the foot of a mountain now for all she knew. She took in a deep breath to steady herself. _Don't be ridiculous_. If Cassandra had left Skyhold somebody would have seen her.

The Inquisitor made a frustrated noise and leaned against the large tree in the herb garden. "Why is Cassandra so hard to find? I thought hiding went against every fibre of her being."

"She is just a child, Inquisitor," Josephine chided. The comment wasn't directed at her but Leliana flinched as though it had been. Guilt clouded her mind, making it hard to think. "Cassandra was not always the steadfast Seeker we all love."

"Shame she's not here to help us look really," said Ellana. "A 'seeker' would come in really handy." Could that woman take _nothing_ seriously?

"You're looking for Cassandra." Josephine gasped loudly at the intrusion of this new voice.

Leliana spun around to face the gangly teenage spirit who had somehow appeared behind her without making a sound. His large, floppy hat sat lopsidedly atop his head and he watched them through all-too-knowing eyes.

"For goodness sake, Cole," said Josephine, clutching at her heart. "Must you sneak up on us every single time?"

Cole cocked his head to one side as though not sure what to make of that question.

"Cole," said Leliana sharply. "Do you know where Cassandra is?"

"She was sad and the blueberries taste like home."

"Oh good. I was hoping you'd be vague about it," said Lavellan. Leliana wasn't listening though. She knew exactly where Cassandra was.

She took off at a sprint right to the end of the garden and back through the north door. Of course Cassandra would be back inside Skyhold by now. She was a child but she wasn't stupid; it was very cold outside. It was possible the Inquisitor and Josephine were behind her but she didn't look back to check.

Her quick feet barely made a sound on the stone floor and she all but skidded to a halt as she reached the entrance to the kitchen in record time. There were candles lit inside so somebody must be in there. Her heart pounded and she sent off a quick prayer to the Maker. _Please be her_.

She looked around the corner. "Cassandra!" Leliana cried. Relief almost overwhelmed her and she had to force herself to take those last few steps forward into the kitchen where the girl was sat on a table swinging her legs backwards and forwards.

There were tear tracks down her face and Cassandra's eyes were glassy when she looked up from the blueberry pastry she was nibbling at to meet Leliana's gaze. There was fear there but also no small amount of relief...which somehow made Leliana feel even worse than she already did. She was very possibly the worst person currently living in Thedas.

" _Cassandra...I am so sorry_ ," Leliana choked out. Cassandra's bottom lip trembled and more tears fell from her eyes. " _I didn't mean to frighten you. I was...angry about other things and I took it out on you and you didn't deserve it_."

Leliana was dimly aware of Cole backing away from sight (how had he beaten her there?) and slipping into the shadows but all of her attention was focused on the girl in front of her, looking so tiny and lost in her borrowed clothes. Cassandra twirled a piece of dark hair around a stubby finger as she silently regarded Leliana.

" _I promise if you come back with me I will...be better for you._ " Leliana continued when it was clear Cassandra wasn't going to say anything.

Cassandra tilted her head in thought and then nodded. Leliana could have wept. " _Okay. I'm sorry I made your birds fly away_."

" _That's okay_ ," Leliana breathed. Cassandra hopped down from the table and stuffed the rest of her pastry into her mouth. She then looked up at Leliana nervously, like she was waiting for something. Another reprimand maybe. Unsure, Leliana held out a hand for Cassandra to take. The girl hesitated for only a moment before running forward, ignoring the hand and throwing herself into Leliana's arms.


	5. Chapter 5

The following day was more successful. There was an unspoken but unanimous agreement that for the rest of her stint as a child, Cassandra would stay with Leliana. Though it was unclear as to why, Cassandra seemed to prefer it that way and honestly Leliana wanted the girl in her sights at all times so it worked in her favour. It made her job no easier but saved her enough worry to be worth the sacrifice. She'd lost enough people and she would _not_ add Cassandra to that list.

Things had become less fraught between them when Cullen had visited her early the next morning with two wooden swords. The poor boy had looked completely out of his element in the rookery and had spent more time engaged in a staring contest with Baron Plucky (who thankfully had returned the night before along with the rest of his avian friends) than talking to Leliana. She supposed she didn't blame him; the birds could be a little unnerving at first.

Of course as soon as Cassandra had seen her new toy she had latched herself onto Leliana's arm and insisted they go and play with them. She'd offered a token resistance just to tease her little friend before agreeing and gathering up some of her work for the day. The courtyard was not as private as she'd like but she could work with it. Most of the residents of Skyhold knew better than to pry into her affairs and would give her a wide berth if she kept a particular type of frown on her face.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on perspective, the Iron Bull was not 'most residents of Skyhold' and Cassandra took quite a liking to him once she had moved past the fact that he was approximately four times her height and eighteen times her weight. While Cassandra was positively delighted when he scooped her up in his arms and plonked her down on his shoulders to ferry her around the grounds during his exercise routine, Leliana was trying to suppress heart palpitations at the thought of her falling and breaking her scrawny neck. She'd had to absolutely draw the line when Bull had suggested a sparring match with Blackwall while still carrying the girl. Ridiculous.

All in all, Cassandra's boundless energy on top of her usual workload made for an exhausting day and Leliana was more than happy to return to her sanctuary when all was said and done. Especially after the meal she'd shared with Cassandra in the kitchen where the staff awkwardly flinched away from her whenever she moved unexpectedly. Her reputation proceeded her. She couldn't quite qualify how that made her feel but she wouldn't classify it as _good_. She chose not to dwell on it; her feelings were unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

Still, when Cassandra was settled down with a pen and something to draw on to entertain herself before bedtime, Leliana opened her simple chest of belongings and pulled out a small stack of papers. They were the only possessions she'd managed to rescue from Haven and they never failed to lift her spirits during some of her darker hours.

She walked over to her desk and sat down. A ten minute break to wind down would do no harm.

So engrossed in her letters, Leliana almost jumped when Cassandra unexpectedly tapped her on the back and asked, " _What are you doing_?"

She tenderly laid down the worn papers on the desk in front of her and turned her attention to girl. Cassandra was staring at her feet and had the stance of somebody ready to dart away at even a slight provocation. It made Leliana's heart ache with shame. If Dorothea could see her now...

She held out an arm and gestured for Cassandra to come closer, which she did with some reluctance. Leliana pushed the letters in Cassandra's direction and the girl squinted at them, unable to read the foreign language.

" _These are from my love_ ," Leliana told her.

" _Your love_?" Cassandra asked, pulling the disgusted face that all children display when confronted with the idea of kissing and mushy adult things. " _Like your boyfriend_?"

" _I don't think she would take too kindly to being called a boy, but essentially yes_." Leliana chuckled at the surprise on Cassandra's face.

" _You have a girlfriend_?" Cassandra questioned. Leliana nodded. " _Why_?"

" _And why ever not, young Cassandra_?" Leliana teased. " _Are we really so bad_?"

Cassandra hesitated. " _You're not so bad_."

" _Very flattering_ ," Leliana replied dryly.

" _But girls are so...boring_!" Cassandra said. At Leliana's raised eyebrow she continued. " _When Uncle takes me to parties he always makes me sit with all the other girls and all they want to talk about are their silly dresses and their dolls_."

A smile tugged at her lips and Leliana leaned back in her chair. She wasn't even a little surprised by Cassandra's assessment of the horror that is other girls. " _Now Cassandra, that's not very nice_ ," she chided. Cassandra folded her arms sulkily. " _How would you feel if another person dismissed you as being so frivolous before they'd ever really spoken to you just because of your gender_?" Cassandra shrugged her shoulders at that and looked at the floor. " _Have you ever really spoken to these other girls or do you just ignore them_?" The lack of response told Leliana all she needed to know. She chuckled and moved her arm to drape over Cassandra's shoulders and pulled her closer.

" _I'd rather go outside and play with the boys_ ," Cassandra said. Then she scowled. " _Uncle won't let me though. He says I have to stay in and learn how to be a proper lady_."

" _Don't worry, Cassandra. One day you'll become exactly who you want to be_ ," Leliana said with a smile. Cassandra smiled shyly back.

" _Where is she_?"

" _Who_?" Leliana furrowed her brow before she realised. " _Oh. You mean Solona. She is...away on a mission right now_."

" _That's why she sent you so many letters_?" Leliana nodded, not bothering to tell Cassandra that the letters she had with her actually spanned many years at this point. She hadn't heard from Solona in a very long time now, though every night she still prayed to hear word from her love. " _When will she be back_?"

Leliana let out a bone-weary sigh. " _I wish I knew. Soon I hope_."

" _Do you miss her_?" Cassandra asked, her own eyes cast down sadly. " _I miss Anthony_."

" _I know you do, little one_ ," said Leliana. She bent down and kissed Cassandra's head, causing the girl to cuddle further into her side. Leliana smiled, glad she hadn't irreparably damaged her relationship with little Cassandra. " _And yes, I miss her very much_."

" _What is she doing? Is she fighting dragons_?" Cassandra perked up at the thought. " _Does she use a sword_?"

Leliana laughed. " _We tried to teach her to use a sword a long time ago but she wasn't very good at it_." 'Not very good' was something of an understatement. After a full month of training, Solona still couldn't keep hold of her sword for more than forty-five seconds of sparring, on one memorable occasion coming very close to cutting off her own toe. Cassandra was visibly disappointed. " _Solona is a mage. Theoretically nobody gets close enough to her for a sword to be necessary_." She paused. " _Of course this is often not the case_."

" _She's a mage? Like a necromancer you mean_?" Cassandra asked. She scrunched up her nose in distaste.

" _Goodness no_ ," said Leliana. " _She specialises in elemental magic and healing. We've never discussed it but I expect she'd be as horrified by the idea of necromancy as you are, Cassandra_."

" _That's okay then_ ," said Cassandra. Leliana felt her shiver. " _Are you going to write to her now? Will you tell her to come home because you miss her_?"

" _So many questions_ ," Leliana said with an amused smile. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised that Cassandra was so inquisitive by nature. As an adult she did a good job of keeping a lid on her natural curiosity, but the woman had never been comfortable kept out of the loop. She could never be the mindless soldier, following orders based on blind loyalty and faith alone. It was one of the many traits that Leliana admired so in her friend and colleague.

" _Sorry_ ," said Cassandra. She said it in a way that suggested this wasn't the first time someone had made this complaint against her.

" _I didn't mean that you should stop_ ," said Leliana gently. Cassandra looked up at her with suspicion. " _Knowledge is power, no_?" Now she just seemed puzzled. Wrong track, obviously. " _There's nothing wrong with asking questions_. _You seek to understand and that's a good thing._ " Leliana chuckled. " _It is unimportant, but please know you may ask me anything you wish to_."

" _Anything_?"

" _Within reason_ ," Leliana clarified, not entirely trusting the guileless expression on Cassandra's face.

" _Will you tell me a story before I go to sleep_?"

Leliana really should have seen that one coming. She bit down on her bottom lip in thought, unsure what it was that held her back. Then an idea hit her. " _How about a compromise_?" she said to the girl.

" _A what_?" said Cassandra, confused.

Leliana smiled and rose to her feet. " _I happen to know one of the best storytellers in the whole of Thedas_ ," she said, holding out a hand for Cassandra to take. " _And I'm sure he would be more than happy to share a tale with us_."

* * *

Varric Tethras had seen a number of strange things in his life. He'd watched his brother driven mad by an idol made of red lyrium. He'd fought demons and ghosts and on one very memorable occasion a rock wraith. He'd been there when Isabela pushed aside her acutely honed sense of self-preservation to save Kirkwall (or most likely just Hawke) from a hoard of angry Qunari. Even more bizarre still, he'd unfortunately borne witness to Aveline Vallen's embarrassing attempts at flirtation. _It's a nice night for an evening_. To this day he couldn't look at a marigold without chuckling. Anyway, he digressed. The point was Varric had seen a lot of weird shit. Nothing, however, could prepare him for the sight of Nightingale, arguably the most terrifying member of the Inquisition, approaching him with a six year old version of the woman who had persecuted him for the last year clinging to her neck as if for dear life. Surreal didn't even begin to cover it.

Oh well. He'd have something...interesting to write about in his next letter to Hawke at the very least, depending on where this went.

He pushed his papers to one side and put the quill he was using back in it's pot. Whatever the woman wanted from him would probably require his undivided attention.

"Hello," he said in greeting, as Leliana reached his lonely table. "What can I do for you this fine evening?"

"Hello, Varric," said Leliana. Cassandra turned her head to gaze at him with caution. It wasn't too dissimilar a look from the one the Seeker usually pointed in his direction, but with significantly less venom. It was unnerving to say the least. "Cassandra and I have a request."

If his interest hadn't already been piqued those words had done the job. He extended a foot to kick out the chair at the other side of the table. Leliana took the hint and sat down opposite him. She tried to put Cassandra down but the girl whined and clung to her more tightly. Even if Varric turned out not to like wherever this conversation was going, it would be worth it just to see the look of awkward indecision on the spymaster's face until she acquiesced to Cassandra's Nevarran mumblings and let the kid rearrange herself until she was sat comfortably in the woman's lap.

"What's on your mind, Nightingale?" he asked, not even bothering to keep the amusement from his voice. "I'm afraid my babysitting only extends to naive Dalish elves with no sense of direction."

There was a brief pause and was that a faint blush he could detect on Nightingale's cheeks? Interesting. It was a shame the hall was empty, despite the hour not being late, because nobody would believe this story were he to repeat it later.

"I believe she'd kill both of us if I allowed you to take charge of her care, no?" Leliana then said.

Varric smirked. "You're not wrong."

"I'm sure she'd find a way to bring us back though," Leliana added.

"So she could kill us again you mean?" Varric asked.

"Well she is nothing if not persistent."

"You got that right," he muttered. The word 'interrogation' didn't feel a strong enough word to describe what that woman put him through after what happened at Kirkwall.

" _Leliana_ ," Cassandra whined.

"Impatient as ever, I see," said Varric, though he had to admit that in this version of the Seeker it was much more endearing than in the fully grown woman. He quickly chased that thought from his mind; wouldn't want Cassandra to get the wrong idea. The wrong idea being that he didn't come somewhere close to actively disliking her.

"Yes, well," said Leliana. She shifted awkwardly and Varric wasn't sure if it was because of what she wished to discuss with him or because she had no idea how to hold a child. It was likely a combination of both. "It's close to bedtime for sleepy Seekers and Cassandra has asked for a story."

Well...that was not what he was expecting.

"Considering you probably know the colour of my underpants right now I find it hard to believe you don't already know that Nevarran is not a language I speak," Varric told the spymaster.

Leliana rolled her eyes. "I'm aware. I was planning to translate. Red."

"Uh...I don't know what to say to that last part," said Varric. He scratched the back of his neck and smirked. He supposed he had that coming. "And can I ask why you need me to tell this story? I might not have eyes everywhere but I'm certain you used to be a bard."

"You can ask," said Leliana. Her voice was light but her face took on a dark expression.

"Right," said Varric. He decided not to push that line of questioning. He wasn't suicidal after all. "Story time it is!"

Leliana nodded her head once as though to say 'good choice' before she looked down at Cassandra and said something in Nevarran. Cassandra's face split into a wide grin, revealing a single dimple on her left cheek. He sighed; it was going to be so much harder to hate her now he'd seen that adorable smile. At Leliana's prompting she looked at him and said very slowly, "Thank you, Varric!"

"Very good," said Leliana, bopping her finger against her nose. Cassandra giggled. No. He refused to accept it. He must be trapped in some kind of alternative reality. This was the work of the Fade. Or Dorian's magic was on the loose again.

He shook his head like that would stop his mind from boggling. It didn't help, but he was struck with an idea.

"And I know the perfect story for little Cassandra," he said, pleased with himself. Leliana raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "I think she'd enjoy hearing all about the 'Hero of Orlais'."

" _Varric_ ," Leliana warned.

"Oh come on! How often do opportunities like this come around?" Varric argued. For what felt like an age, Leliana stared him down. Then a mischievous grin lit up her face, making her look years younger. Varric felt like he was looking at the woman Leliana might have been before all this creepy spymaster shit.

"All right, but at the first sight of a brandished sword in my direction when she has returned to us I'm throwing _you_ in the crossfire," said Leliana.

"That's fair," said Varric. "I'm sure she'll find a way to blame this whole thing on me either way so I might as well go out with a bang."

"I'm glad we're agreed," said Leliana. She leaned back in her chair and draped an arm loosely around Cassandra's torso, presumably to make sure she didn't fall.

"Okay." Varric rubbed his hands together. He was going to make this a good one. "You ready, Cassandra?"

Leliana repeated the question in Nevarran and Cassandra nodded her head with enthusiasm.

"Once upon a time..."

" _Really_ , Varric?"

"Hey! I've never told a story to a kid before. My artistic integrity is already being tested with the lack of impending gratuitous sex scenes."

"Fine then."

"Once upon there was a woman called...Cassondria."

"Varric!"

"Who's telling the story here, Nightingale?" She glared at him. "Fine. Her name was Eve, all right?"

Leliana let out a longsuffering sigh and began her quiet translation in Cassandra's ear. For her part, the girl was paying rapt attention to both of them. It was actually quite refreshing to have someone look at him devoid of suspicion and it wasn't often he was able to verbally display his craft anymore. He should write to Merill. She always appreciated his stories.

As the story went on, Varric found himself becoming more engrossed in his own tale, despite the unfortunately common interruptions from Leliana's agents with their secret pieces of paper and furtive glances. Maybe he should write this one down. He'd call it...Origins of the Seeker. Wait no; Dawn of the Seeker. Cassandra would hate him for it but what else was new? He was fairly sure Leliana was already watering down his tale to be more appropriate for young ears now so he should at least live long enough to finish writing it. He amused himself for a moment imagining the Seeker's face when he presented her with a personally signed copy.

When they reached the part of the story where Cassandra...sorry, _Eve_ and Regalyan were imprisoned by Martel, Cassandra gasped loudly and leaned forward so Leliana was forced to hold onto her more tightly. She babbled something in Nevarran and gazed imploringly at Varric. Leliana's lip twitched upwards.

"She said 'that's not fair'," she informed him. "Perhaps a story with...less excitement would have been a better choice. She'll not sleep for hours after this."

"Sleeping is overrated," Varric told her.

"Speaking as someone who gets very little of it, I have to disagree," said Leliana. There was humour in her tone but Varric still felt a twinge of sympathy he knew she wouldn't thank him for.

" _Leliana_ ," said Cassandra, prodding the woman in the leg. Leliana laughed.

"I'm sorry, Cassandra. I'm interrupting story time, aren't I?"

Though she obviously didn't understand what had just been said to her, she still nodded her head furiously and Leliana gestured for him to continue, which he did. He didn't know all the details so some liberties had to be taken but he was sure he'd done a decent job filling in the blanks.

"...and that's when seven dragons swooped out of the sky!" Swooping was _bad_.

"For pities sake, Varric. It was four dragons," Leliana corrected. "Then a high dragon. Is this story not improbable enough as it is?"

"Seven is a much better number though, don't you think?" said Varric. "More magical somehow."

Leliana pursed her lips and shook her head, but then she dutifully relayed the information to Cassandra. He was half tempted to keep adding more and more elaborate details just to see how long it took her to crack and finish off the story herself, but he valued his life too much. Honestly, she'd already tolerated more than he was expecting. If he didn't know any better he'd almost say she was enjoying herself. She certainly looked more relaxed than was usual.

Unfortunately, even through her excitement during the battle scene, Cassandra's eyes were beginning to droop so Varric decided to bring the story to a close. He still made sure to give the kid a satisfying ending though. Nobody liked a lack of payoff after emotionally investing themselves in something, no matter how tired they were. When he reached the part in the story where definitely-not-Cassandra was named the Hero of Orlais and the Right Hand of the Divine, Cassandra all but squealed with pleasure and clapped her hands together. Varric really wasn't used to such a captive audience. It was quite the ego boost. Maybe he should start writing children's books.

"The end," he said with finality.

Leliana scoffed but repeated the phrase. Cassandra sighed happily and leaned back into Leliana's embrace. She muttered something in Nevarran.

"She said, 'that was a good story'," Leliana told him. "I wonder if she'll feel the same way in a few days."

Varric laughed. "I'm going to go with _no_ , but I'm glad she enjoyed it."

Before Leliana could reply, another of her agents appeared by her side and handed her a scroll. Cassandra yawned loudly as she scanned down the note, her expression darkening. She dismissed the agent and turned her attention back to Varric.

"Alas, it is time for us to depart," said Leliana. If he didn't know better he'd almost think she didn't quite want to leave yet.

"What do you think of my new bestseller?" Varric asked, as Leliana rose to her feet. "It'll need a few tweaks here and there. Maybe some less practical armour. More than a chaste kiss on the cheek for the valiant Regalyan."

"I think it was nice knowing you," Leliana replied, in her driest voice.

"Perhaps I'll even track down some of the main players for some extra details. What _is_ Regalyan doing these days?" Varric said.

Leliana's expression softened and she placed a kiss atop a sleepy Cassandra's head. "He died in the Conclave."

"Oh," said Varric. His smirk fell. "Well now I feel like a dick."

Leliana hummed absently and hugged Cassandra close to her chest. "Thank you for the story, Varric."

"No problem, Nightingale," he said.


	6. Chapter 6

"Ah, Inquisitor, just the woman I wished to see."

"Everything all right, Josephine?"

"All is well. I was wondering if you could take Cassandra for lunch?"

"I suppose so. Is she causing you trouble?"

A chuckle. "No. I have some work that simply must be finished as soon as possible. Believe me, my darling, nobody of my acquaintance causes me more trouble than you."

And that was how Ellana ended up trailing behind Cassandra as she jogged through the library. Ellana honestly did debate shouting to her to slow down but Cassandra, strangely enough, only seemed to be able to figure out what the elf was saying when it was something she wanted to hear. Weird, that. Luckily for the kid the rest of the Inquisition seemed to find this trait endearing. Ellana assumed that was because none of them were stuck babysitting the wilful little monster while Leliana took care of some 'very important business'.

At the foot of the stairs up to the rookery Cassandra paused and looked back at Ellana, gesturing for her to hurry up. She sighed internally; Cassandra had refused to eat with the Inquisitor (something half of Thedas would have paid to do right now...not that she was deeply offended about the rejection) without checking to see if Leliana would go with them first. Ellana wasn't going to hold her breath; if Leliana did agree to eat with what Varric affectionately referred to as 'the rabble' then it would be a first.

Then again, maybe Cassandra could convince her. She'd done a good job of winding the spymaster around her little finger. The two of them, over the last week, had become almost inseparable. It was as adorable as it was bizarre considering how horrified Leliana had initially been. Well...Ellana just thought it was bizarre. Adorable had been Josephine's word.

"I'm coming!" said Ellana, when Cassandra folded her arms impatiently. She huffed. "I can't wait until you're back to normal, you know. You aren't nearly this demanding on a regular day...for the most part." Cassandra peered up at her blankly. "Never mind."

Of course Cassandra seemed to understand that last bit. She spun around, almost tripping over her own feet, and started sprinting up the spiral staircase as fast as her little legs could carry her. If Ellana had gathered her wits together, she might have realised what a bad idea it was to let Cassandra run off to the rookery unattended when she knew Leliana was 'taking care of something'.

It probably shouldn't have come as a surprise to her when she chased Cassandra through the door to find the rookery empty except for Leliana and a terrified looking agent she was pressing into the wall with a long knife holding him in place. Next to them the shrine to Andraste shone ominously.

Ellana stopped, astonished. Oh. _This_ was what she meant by 'business' then.

Not moving the knife pressed against the man's throat even a millimetre, Leliana turned her head. When she realised who it was that had interrupted her interrogation, she faltered.

"Inquisitor!" the man yelped. "Help! She's gone crazy! I didn't do nothing!" He was quickly silenced when Leliana increased the pressure of her elbow against his sternum.

"Can you _please_ remove Cassandra?" Leliana said in a biting tone. "Now!"

Ellana jumped. "Uh, right. Cassandra!" But the girl wasn't listening to her. Her wide eyes were firmly fixed on the cold steel in Leliana's hand. "Come here." She moved forward but Cassandra danced out of her reach and approached the spymaster.

" _Leliana_ ," said Cassandra tearfully. As if sensing her distress, the birds began to flap their wings in agitation.

"For goodness sake, Inquisitor. I said get her out of here!" said Leliana. She seemed to flinch away from the distraught look on Cassandra's face. Ellana paused, her mouth settling into a grim line.

"What exactly did he do to deserve this?" she asked. Leliana glared at her but she refused to back down.

"He is responsible for the deaths of four of my agents," Leliana told her, making a visible effort to quell her anger. "He gave up their locations to a group of Red Templars. Now if you please, Cassandra should _not_ be here to see this."

The man whimpered. "I had no choice. They would have killed me!"

"Then you should have died," Leliana snarled back. Cassandra took a step back towards Ellana in fear.

"Leliana. Stop this," said Ellana, her voice much steadier than she could have hoped for considering the rapid thumping of her heart. "This isn't the way."

Leliana let out a bitter little laugh. "Isn't it." She didn't pose it as a question. "This is my job, no? Do the things that others won't."

"Put down the knife. The Inquisition can deal with this," said Ellana. She took a step towards Leliana, though made sure not to make any sudden movements. Cassandra looked between the two women frantically. "I can deal with this."

"He deserves to die and you know it," said Leliana, but Ellana could feel her resolve wavering.

"Maybe he does, but it does not have to be by your hand," Ellana pressed. "Put down the knife. You're scaring Cassandra."

For a long moment, nobody moved. Ellana didn't even dare to breathe. Then Leliana made the mistake of looking down at Cassandra, who was twisting the bottom of her shirt between her fingers and making no effort to stop the tears running down her face. Leliana sighed and relaxed her shoulders a fraction.

"As you wish, Inquisitor." Leliana wasn't looking at him but Ellana noticed the smug smirk that crossed the man's face. Not quite the victim he was painting himself to be then. She'd remember that for later. "Harding, fetch some of Cullen's soldiers to take him to the prisons under Skyhold. Markus has always been one of my better agents and we would do well not to underestimate him."

"Of course, Sister Nightingale," said a voice behind Ellana. She jumped and turned around in time to see Scout Harding disappear through the doors onto the battlements. Had she been there that whole time?

In the awkward silence Harding left behind her, the traitorous agent began to laugh. The humourless sound was unnerving to say the least.

"Who'd have thought it," Markus said. Leliana made no move so show she'd even heard him. "The feared Nightingale tamed by a fucking child. How much do you think people would pay for that sort of inf-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Leliana twirled the heavy knife around in her fingers and then smashed the handle down over his head with so much force that Ellana winced in sympathy. "That's quite enough from you," she commented, as he slid out of her grasp and onto the floor, unconscious.

Cassandra gasped in shock and in an instant Leliana had abandoned her prisoner and was kneeling on the floor in front of the frightened girl with soothing words on her lips.

"Well see if I'd known how much of a dick he was I might have just let you kill him," Ellana remarked, then she shrunk away from the scathing look Leliana shot her. "Ah. Not the right time for jokes. Got it. I'll just...lurk behind this table and pretend I'm not here, shall I?"

* * *

After the incident earlier, Cassandra had refused to let Leliana out of her sight. It had baffled Leliana at first; she'd have thought that after that little display the girl wouldn't have wanted anything else to do with her. Honestly, she wouldn't have blamed her. Cassandra, as it turned out, was impressed with Leliana's ability to 'stop the bad man' rather than afraid of her somewhat violent streak. Leliana wasn't sure if she felt grateful or aggrieved by Cassandra's complete and undeserved faith in her.

Leliana sighed and brought up delicate fingers to massage her temples. It had been a long day and an even longer week. Her agents had worked tirelessly to recover their missing comrades, until eventually discovering their bodies under an upturned patch of earth in the Emerald Graves. A discarded templar weapon and traces of red lyrium had cleared up the cause of death, but not how they'd arrived there. When Leliana realised that one member of the group was missing...well she'd had her agents search high and low for him for answers. Now, here they were.

Sometimes, Marker forgive her, she wished for the days of the Blight. Her path had been so much clearer then. Kill the archdemon and love her Warden as best she could. The difficult decisions had not been hers to make.

"Nightingale," said a voice behind her. Leliana pressed her lips into a thin line. The distraction was welcome; letting her mind wander too far never resulted in a peaceful nights sleep.

"Yes?"

The woman handed her a note and stood quietly while she waited for a response. Leliana unfolded the letter and let her eyes scan across the words. Her expression darkened. "Please let the Countess know under no uncertain terms that she may continue down this path at her own peril." Then at the blank look on her agent's face, she added, "I'm sure she'd like the details of her dalliance with a certain member of the Merchant's Guild to be kept far away from her husband's ears." Comprehension dawned then and the agent nodded.

"Understood." She bowed her head and then crossed the rookery to where two of her colleagues were talking in low voices. Leliana looked away then, weary and disinterested. She knew her orders would be followed.

Maybe she should try to get some real sleep tonight. On more than one occasion over the last week she had fallen asleep in her chair, only to be woken by a concerned Cassandra, who was unknowingly the reason that Leliana wasn't sleeping in her bedroll at night anymore.

Speaking of whom, Leliana's eyes snapped to Cassandra when she let out a tiny whimper. She'd been tossing and turning all night but whatever demons were plaguing her sleep now seemed to be coming to a head. Leliana hesitated only briefly before leaving her desk to kneel on the floor beside the troubled child. In her sleep, Cassandra reached forward to grasp at something that wasn't there.

"Shhh," Leliana whispered soothingly. " _It's okay_." She took one of Cassandra's hands in her own and linked their fingers together. In response, Cassandra let out a wild cry of distress. " _You're just dreaming, Ca_ -"

Before she could finish her sentence, Cassandra's eyes shot open and she gasped for breath. Leliana kept their fingers laced together until the girl had calmed down enough to realise where she was. She let out a gut wrenching sob and launched herself into Leliana's embrace.

" _It's okay, Cassandra_ ," Leliana murmured in her ear. " _You're safe here. You're safe. I promise. I have you, little one_." Cassandra trembled violently in her arms, small and fragile. " _You're going to be fine._ "

" _Leliana_ ," Cassandra wept. " _I had a bad dream_."

" _It's okay, sweetheart. It wasn't real_ ," Leliana told her. She rocked Cassandra back and forth gently.

" _I dreamed_..." Cassandra sniffed, tiny fists clenching and unclenching around purple fabric. " _I dreamed that someone cut off Anthony's head_."

Leliana's heart stuttered in her chest and for a moment she couldn't speak past the lump that had lodged itself in her throat. She took a deep breath. " _It was just a dream_." Thankfully, Cassandra didn't notice the waver in Leliana's voice. " _Just a dream_."

" _It felt so real_."

" _I know. I know. It's okay_."

It was a long time before Cassandra had settled down enough for Leliana to release her tight grip around the girl. She wasn't sure exactly how long it had been but there was a sharp ache in her knees from the stone floor and an old spinal injury flared with pain as she straightened her back. Still, when Cassandra had finished rubbing her eyes on the back of her sleeve and gazed up at her with painfully trusting eyes, she just about managed a smile.

" _Why are you crying_?" Cassandra asked.

" _I'm not_ ," said Leliana, raising a hand to her cheek and finding it damp. " _Oh_. _I suppose I am._ " She let out a small laugh. " _I just don't like to see you sad, little one_."

" _I'm sorry_ ," said Cassandra, hanging her head with shame.

" _No no no. Don't be sorry_ ," said Leliana. She ran a finger along Cassandra's cheek and smiled. " _You have nothing to be sorry for. We all have bad dreams sometimes_."

Cassandra sighed and leaned into her touch. " _You too_?"

" _Yes, I have bad dreams_ ," said Leliana, mentally adding a ' _more often than is normal'_. " _It is nothing to be ashamed of_."

Unable to meet her gaze, Cassandra shrugged her shoulders. " _I have bad dreams about the dead people all the time_." Leliana blinked. Now that was something she had not known about her friend. " _Uncle tells me that it's silly_."

" _Your Uncle is wrong_ ," Leliana told her sternly. " _Your feelings are never silly, Cassandra, and don't you forget it_."

It looked as though Cassandra might argue, but instead she let a tiny smile tug at her lip. " _Okay_." Leliana almost laughed at that. If Cassandra had been older it would have been akin to pulling teeth to convince her to admit anything of the sort, even if she believed it. The woman was much too stubborn.

" _Okay_ ," Leliana repeated. She leaned forward and kissed Cassandra's forehead. " _Now would you like to talk more about your dream_?" Cassandra shook her head. Leliana sent up a quick thank you to the Maker for that one; she wasn't sure she could handle lying about poor dead Anthony any more than was absolutely necessary. " _Do you want to go back to sleep_?" Cassandra looked alarmed when she shook her head for a second time, more tears running down her face. " _Then what would you like to do_?"

" _What do you do when you have a bad dream_?" Cassandra asked.

Push it to the back of her mind and pretend it hadn't happened while she threw herself into her work, was the answer. Somehow, she doubted that response would help Cassandra. Leliana tried to cast her mind back to her own childhood but drew a blank. Either she hadn't been prone to nightmares at a young age or the memories of them had long since been lost. She had a vague recollection of a pretty elven servant giving her a cookie once when she'd been unable to sleep, but that seemed wholly inadequate considering the circumstance.

She'd been quiet for too long and Cassandra was beginning to look worried.

" _Let's go for a walk_ ," Leliana said eventually. Her discomfort from sitting on the floor had given her an idea. Maybe a change of scenery would help.

" _Okay_!" Cassandra said. The details of the dream seemed already to be fading from her mind at the prospect of spending more time with one of her favourite people. It was a strange notion; it had been years since Leliana had spent time with someone who felt _safer_ in her presence rather than discomforted. Not since her Warden had left.

Leliana sat back and pulled Cassandra to her feet. She shivered so Leliana picked up the soft green blanket (a gift from Josephine) from the bedroll and wrapped it around the girl. Cassandra smiled up at her and then held out her arms to be carried.

" _Ah, your legs have stopped working again I suppose_?" said Leliana with amusement.

" _I'm too tired to walk_ ," Cassandra complained. " _Please_?"

Leliana sighed dramatically in a way she knew would make Cassandra giggle despite the tears that were so close to the surface they could reappear at any time. " _Very well. If Her Royal Highness wishes to be carried, then so shall it be_."

She let Cassandra wrap her arms around her neck and then rose to her feet. She beckoned over one of her agents and he jumped to attention, looking both pleased and fearful at having been noticed.

"I am not to be disturbed for the rest of the night unless there is an emergency," Leliana told him.

"Of course," he replied, trembling with the need to impress. One of her newer recruits.

She paid him no more mind and left the dark rookery. He would make sure to pass on her message to all who needed to know if only to show himself worthy of her attention. He might live to regret it if he succeeded.

Even when the sun was at it's brightest, Skyhold remained chilly; especially during the evenings. Tonight, a wintry breeze blew through the keep, rattling at the doors and windows rather ominously. The main hall was emptier than usual, presumably because people had chosen to escape to their comparatively warmer bedrooms or perhaps to spend the evening in the tavern, which did a much better job at keeping in the heat than anywhere else. Of course, lacking in numbers didn't stop the small group of residents that did remain clustered around the table furthest from the door from glancing at her furtively as though she'd stripped down to nothing and had elected to dance atop the Inquisitor's throne to a rousing chorus of 'Sera Was Never' as she walked past. It was a look she'd started receiving around the time Cassandra had latched herself on Leliana's person. Leliana supposed she didn't blame them; carrying around a clingy child was somewhat incongruous with the reputation she'd built for herself.

Cassandra shivered in Leliana's arms and she tightened her grip in an effort to keep the girl warm. " _Almost there, little one_ ," she said in Cassandra's ear.

She took the door that led downwards through Skyhold, turning right at the end of the staircase (rather than left, which would have eventually led her to the kitchens). It was a corridor she'd traversed only once before, but after a couple of additional turns she remembered which door Josephine had directed her to months earlier when they'd first arrived at Skyhold. Leliana had told her friend she wouldn't need the room, but she knew Josephine had made sure to keep it empty in case she should ever change her mind.

She stopped in front of a small, wooden door. " _Cassandra_?" The girl grumbled against her neck. " _I will have to put you down for a second_."

" _No_ ," Cassandra whined, her voice high and melodic. She tightened her arms around Leliana's neck to a painful degree. " _The floor's cold_." Leliana looked down at Cassandra's bare feet; she hadn't thought to pick up her shoes before they'd left the rookery.

" _All right_ ," said Leliana with a chuckle. She readjusted herself so she could hold Cassandra with one arm and then shifted her over to her hip. When her hand was free, she reached down to the pouch hanging from the belt around her waist and pulled out a small silver key. If she had both hands free she wouldn't have needed a key, the lock would have been simple to pick. As it was she'd have to practice her skills another time.

The door swung open with a gentle push and Leliana stepped inside, closing it with a _snap_ behind her.

" _Here we are_ ," she announced.

Cassandra lifted her head and looked around. " _It's just a bedroom_ ," she said, confused.

" _It is_ my _bedroom_ ," Leliana corrected.

" _Then why is it so empty_?" Cassandra asked, as Leliana walked over to the single bed pushed up against the wall and put Cassandra down carefully on top of it. She reached over to the small table and lit the candle so they were no longer sat in the dark.

Suddenly, Leliana felt unsure of herself. She'd thought that Cassandra would enjoy sleeping in an actual bed tonight rather than the cold bedroll in the rookery. " _I_..." Cassandra stared up at her. " _I've never had a reason to sleep in here_."

Cassandra considered this for a moment. " _Well that's silly_ ," she told her. She used her hands to bounce on the mattress underneath her. " _This is better_."

" _It is easier for me to work from the rookery_ ," Leliana replied, not sure why she felt the need to defend herself.

" _You can't work when you're asleep_ ," Cassandra said, stubbornly folding her arms over the blanket still wrapped around her torso.

Leliana opened her mouth and then closed it again. She smiled. " _Well it's hard to argue with that kind of logic_."

The small bedroom Josephine had selected for her friend had more furnishings than the average room of Skyhold, Leliana noticed. Rather than just a bed, on the other side of the room was a sturdy oak armoire and bedside it was a desk equipped with a brand new inkpot and quill that Leliana knew hadn't been there the first time she'd visited. A gift from Josephine on behalf of the Inquisition she suspected.

She walked over the wardrobe and opened the door. Her eyes widened with surprise; inside was a lute. Not the cheap kind either. She reached forward and let her fingers lightly brush over the pretty blue bow wrapped around the neck of the instrument. A gift from Josephine herself? The woman knew Leliana's own had been destroyed in Haven. She swallowed hard and shut the door.

Leliana sighed. She had been neglecting her friend. When this...she briefly glanced at Cassandra... _situation_ had resolved itself, she must make more of an effort. It was possible she'd allowed herself become too isolated as of late, hiding in her shadows. Her Warden wouldn't even recognise her when she returned. _If_ she returned.

Leliana cleared her throat and pushed that last thought away. She was supposed to be making Cassandra feel better; not wallowing in her own misery.

" _Do I have to go to bed now then_? _I'm not tired_!" Cassandra lied, when Leliana had been silent for too long. Though the journey had distracted her, the reason she was awake this late in the night seemed to be creeping back.

" _Not yet_ ," Leliana said after some thought. " _But you should get under the blankets before you get cold, no_?"

Cassandra nodded and scrambled to the top of the bed to bury herself under the sheets. She sat up and grinned toothily. " _It's warmer in here. I like it_."

"Bon," said Leliana. She perched on the edge of the bed and reached forward to smooth down Cassandra's hair. She understood why her friend cut it so short but it was so pretty at this length. Happy with the attention, Cassandra shuffled sideways so they were closer together. She thought for a moment while Cassandra watched her expectantly.

" _You know_ ," Leliana began slowly. Then she paused. Did she want to go down this road? Probably not. " _My Warden...Solona I mean_ -"

" _Your girlfriend_?" Cassandra interrupted, with a sly grin that made Leliana smile.

" _That's the one_ ," Leliana confirmed. " _When we first met...she used to have nightmares almost every night_."

The mirth in Cassandra's eyes faded. " _Why_?"

_For reasons that no child needs to know_ , Leliana thought. " _The cost of being a hero_ ," she said.

" _A hero_?" Cassandra perked up.

Leliana hummed in agreement. " _They call her the Hero of Ferelden. She's helped many people."_

_"Has she fought a dragon though_?" Cassandra asked, because at this age beloved Anthony Pentaghast was the standard to which she held all other heroes. Maybe it always would be.

" _A really big one_ ," Leliana told her solemnly. Satisfied, Cassandra nodded her head and relaxed against Leliana's side. " _Huge dragons aside_ ," she continued, pausing when Cassandra giggled at her tone, " _we were talking about her bad dreams, no_? _Not her dragon slaying abilities._ "

" _I'd rather hear about the dragons_ ," Cassandra groused.

Leliana smiled. " _I'm sure you would, but that wouldn't help you to sleep_."

" _It might_ ," said Cassandra, stubbornness colouring her every feature.

This time Leliana outright laughed. " _Maybe when you're older_." Cassandra huffed indignantly but offered no more arguments. Story time didn't seem to be working so Leliana decided to try a different tactic. " _Lie down and close your eyes_."

The clean sheets rustled as Cassandra moved to follow the instruction, though not without shooting Leliana a dubious look first. She lay flat on her back and pulled the blankets up to her chin and then pretended not to be squinting up through tiny gaps between her eyelids. Affection made Leliana's heart swell and she reached forward to brush her fingers over Cassandra's forehead, side to side. Solona had done this for her once after a particularly bad night (shortly after their battle with Marjolaine) and she'd found it incredibly soothing. She'd told her it was something her mother used to do for her before she'd been dragged away by Templars. After a few minutes of this, Cassandra's eyes drifted closed and she sighed with contentment.

Then, making sure not to be so loud as to be disruptive to Cassandra's sleep, Leliana began to sing.

Her voice was rusty from disuse, but the old lullaby felt comfortable on her tongue. It was an old favourite of hers and a song her Warden would often request after a long day when they were cuddled up together in the comfort of their own home. Leliana hadn't sung it in a long time. She hadn't wanted to.

As the song drew to a close, Leliana could see the rise and fall of Cassandra's chest evening out; she was almost asleep. She leant forward and kissed her gently on the forehead with a mental promise to be back first thing in the morning and then rose to her feet. She still had time to write out a reply to a letter she'd received from Zevran earlier that day.

" _Where are you going_?" Cassandra asked, only half conscious.

" _Go to sleep_ ," Leliana whispered. " _I'll be back before you wake up_."

" _No_ ," Cassandra moaned, elongating the word to an almost comical length. " _You have to stay_."

" _But_ -"

" _What if the nightmare comes back. Please don't leave me_ ," she said, rolling onto her side and pressing her face into the pillow.

Leliana paused and then rolled her eyes at herself. She never really stood a chance. Zevran would have to wait. " _Very well_ ," she said.

With some hesitation, she pulled her purple robe over her head and folded it carefully before laying it down on the desk. Then she removed her shoes, gloves, several knives and belt until she was dressed in only the light cotton shirt and trousers she wore under her chainmail.

" _You're being slow_ ," Cassandra complained, watching Leliana through a single half-opened eye.

Leliana clicked her tongue and crossed the room to slide under the blankets next to Cassandra. Delighted, the girl immediately curled into her side and Leliana wrapped an arm around her. For a moment, she fought to relax; the warmth of another body next to her felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. It had been a long while since she'd held somebody like this.

" _Sleep time now_ ," Cassandra mumbled. " _Love you, Leliana_."

A sharp inhale of breath caught in her throat and before she could even think of replying, Cassandra had already fallen into a deep slumber.

She spent the rest of the night pretending to herself that those weren't tears rolling back into her hair.


	7. Chapter 7

It really was a beautiful day; beautiful to look at anyway. The sun shone brightly, though the ever present chill wrapped itself still around it's residents. Ellana didn't mind the cold so much having lived outdoors for the majority of her life. She knew Josephine struggled though, more used to the humid climates of Antiva. Luckily, Ellana was more than happy to act as Josephine's personal heater on particularly frosty evenings.

"Look, it wasn't my fault," Ellana protested, after a particularly mocking glance from Leliana. "The map...purposely sent me in the wrong direction."

"Yes, maps can be devious in that way. I'm not surprised you were outwitted," replied Leliana, her lip quirking upwards.

Today, the spymaster seemed less on edge than usual. Though still noticeably careworn, her eyes did not dart around quite so furtively like she was expecting an attack at any given moment. It perhaps had something to do with the young girl leaning against her side, picking at a flaky pastry with rapt interest. This whole little...event was Cassandra's idea, or so Leliana told them. Somehow Ellana doubted the legitimacy of this claim, but if Leliana wanted to pretend that she wasn't responsible for their afternoon picnic in the grounds of Skyhold then far be it from her to question it.

It had been a good idea anyway, and not just because Ellana could use it as an excuse to drag Josephine away from her somewhat gloomy office for an hour. Her lover had seemed somewhat startled by the abundance of natural light and if that wasn't a clear sign that she needed to be outdoors for a while then Ellana didn't know what was. The perplexed looks they were receiving from passers-by were unfortunate, but Ellana supposed she didn't blame them. The Inquisitor, a baby version of Cassandra Pentaghast, the rarely-seen-outside-of-the-rookery spymaster and the prim and proper Lady Montilyet were all sat on a blanket on the cold, hard ground eating finger food. Not an everyday occurrence.

"Val Royeaux is a menace. Every time I go there all I see is blackmail, unholy sexual deviances and sequined assassins. Then there was that duel," Ellana said. "If I never go there again it will be too soon."

Josephine looked up sharply from the sandwich she was nibbling on. "I hardly think Val Royeaux can be held responsible for your decision to hold a public duel."

Ellana opened her mouth to argue but Leliana beat her to it. "Choose your battles wisely, Inquisitor," she said mildly.

Conceding that Leliana might have a point, Ellana inclined her head and offered Josephine what she hoped to be a charming smile. "Perhaps not," she said. "I stand by my original point though; I am not to blame for getting lost in the streets of Val Royeaux. Sera was with me the whole time and I'm sure she could have gotten us out of there whenever she wanted to."

With a sigh, Josephine glanced in the direction of the tavern. "I am sure Sera found it amusing to watch your struggles."

"Besides, cities aren't really my area. All your buildings look the same to me," said Ellana.

"You can't tell the difference between the landmarks of Val Royeaux?" Leliana frowned at the idea.

"So I'm not allowed to struggle with your human architecture, but it's all right for Bull and Sera to complain endlessly at me for six and a half solid weeks about all the trees in the Emerald Graves being identical like I am somehow responsible for it?" Ellana said. "Do you even know how many times Sera pointed at the ground and asked me if that was my favourite blade of grass and then ran away cackling? I don't, because I lost count after the second week when she stripped down to nearly nothing at our campsite and danced around a peach tree to 'make me feel more at home with some of that Dalish shit'."

Josephine looked aghast but Leliana turned to her seriously and asked, "And did it?"

For a moment, Ellana didn't quite know how to respond, then Josephine began to laugh and Leliana smirked.

"Oh, my darling. Your face!" Josephine chuckled, her hand hovering over her mouth.

"Very funny," said Ellana with an eye roll, but she couldn't help but smile herself. "I'm the Inquisitor, you know. Making fun of me is bad for morale."

"Not true, Boss," Iron Bull shouted from across the courtyard. Ellana blinked, not entirely sure how he'd heard them from so far away. "Krem is going to get a real kick out of this later!"

While Ellana grumbled unhappily, Cassandra had jumped to her feet and had taken off at a run in Bull's direction. His booming laugh could be heard all over Skyhold as he bent down to catch her in his arms. Leliana tensed but did nothing as the man swung her around, making her giggle with delight.

"She looks so tiny next to him," Ellana commented, before turning back to her companions and taking a sip of fruity white wine.

"I believe she is generally rather small for her age," Josephine said.

"Is she? She looks about the right size by elven standards...oh I see what you mean." She popped a grape in her mouth and chewed it thoughtfully. "Growth spurt when she was a teen then?"

"Yes," Leliana agreed. Her eyes flicked to Ellana but she could tell that her attention was still fully focussed on Cassandra, who was now being paraded around on Bull's shoulders. "I dragged a story out of her on one of our longer missions in the service of Divine Justinia about one of her Uncle's attempts to match her to a suitor. It was on her sixteenth birthday and over the summer she had grown almost a foot taller. Unused to her newly developed limbs she overreached and accidentally knocked a whole glass of red wine over her potential future husband's embroidered royal sea silk tunic and then in an effort to help him she punched him in the mouth with a handkerchief."

Ellana laughed. "I had a similar experience when I was around that age too, right after I tripped on a tree branch and he told me I was too clumsy to be a real elf. I think he was even more unhappy about the match than I was." She saw Josephine frown at that. " _Accidentally_ tripped right into his face with my fist after that."

"Though not my preferred method of revenge, tried and true nonetheless," Leliana mused. She shifted on the blanket so her legs were crossed and then took a bite of the pastry that Cassandra had left behind.

"There are few secrets among the Dalish," said Ellana. "I'm not sure how effective your _methods_ would be among clans."

"I would not bet against her," said Josephine, her voice a mite too casual for the comment to have been an idle thought. Leliana bowed her head with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Do I even want to know?" Ellana asked.

"Probably not," said Leliana.

"Definitely not," Josephine corrected.

Ellana looked between them, eyes narrowed. No, she decided, ignorance is bliss. "Fine. Keep your secrets."

"I always do, Inquisitor," Leliana replied cheerfully.

The smile on Leliana's face faded when Cassandra let out a particularly gleeful squeal. Ellana turned around to see Bull throwing her up in the air and then catching her at the last second. It looked like the kid was having fun but Ellana didn't miss the way Leliana flinched with every throw. She supposed she shouldn't be too surprised that Nightingale was protective of the people she cared for. Not after she'd basically assaulted Ellana that time for paying Josephine too many compliments. Okay, maybe _assaulted_ was a bit of an overreaction. Made sternly worded threats in her direction would be closer.

"He won't drop her," Ellana said. "Probably." Josephine shot her an exasperated look but Leliana gave no indication she'd heard. "He won't crush her either." Leliana looked alarmed then, like that thought hadn't even occurred to her. "Ah...I mean-"

"We haven't spoken in a number of days, Leliana," Josephine said loudly. Ellana sighed with relief. "How have things fared with young Cassandra?"

"She hasn't run off again so that has been a marked improvement," she said with a wry smile. "Whenever she begins to feel homesick, Cole appears with some kind of gift. Usually one of these." She pointed to what was left of the blueberry pastry.

"I suspect he may have been responsible for the furore in the kitchens not three days ago," said Josephine thoughtfully. "I believe Cassandra is not the only resident of Skyhold being provided with stolen gifts."

"He certainly keeps things interesting," Leliana said.

"I can ask him to stop if you want," Ellana said dubiously. She'd rather not though. Cole's heart was in the right place even if his methods were...not always ideal. Plus she'd become very fond of the spirit over the last few months. She'd even go as far as to say they were friends, though she wasn't sure Cole really understood what that meant.

"Leave the boy be," said Leliana, before Josephine could respond. Then she smirked, "And I'm not just saying that because I am sometimes the recipient of those stolen gifts."

"Oh?" Josephine prompted.

"I doubt the honey puts itself in my wine." Ellana had a vague recollection of Cole mentioning something like that before. Varric had been forced to discourage him from plying Leliana's alcohol with live bees rather than the honey itself. They were still in something of a learning curve.

"I suppose he means well," Josephine said after a moment.

"Cole just wants to help. He-" She stopped talking abruptly. Something was tickling her ear. "Please tell me that isn't a spider."

Josephine and Leliana were both visibly fighting off amusement. "It's not a spider, my darling."

No, it was definitely not a spider. She could feel it now. It was a very tiny finger...poking the point at the top of her left ear. "Cassandra Pentaghast!" She turned her head in time to see that toothy grin spread across Cassandra's face. She giggled and jumped back when Ellana made a grab for her. "Come here, you little brat!"

Cassandra dodged another swipe of her hand and then spun around to run to Leliana. The spymaster remained perfectly still as Cassandra grabbed the back of her hood and used it to cover her own face, still laughing madly.

Ellana grabbed one of the wooden swords they'd brought with them and rose to her feet, crossing the picnic blanket in just two steps. She pointed the 'blade' at Leliana's face. "Surrender the girl!"

" _No_!" Cassandra cried. Then she said something loudly in Nevarran, which Leliana responded to in kind. She then released Leliana's hood to run back the way she had come to pick up the other sword. "En garde!" Leliana had taught her that one, Ellana was sure.

"My hero," said Leliana with amusement, as Cassandra lunged forward, swinging her sword wildly.

They sparred for a while, if that was the right word. Cassandra threw herself around like a woman possessed and Ellana parried her jabs to prevent any serious bruising. The kid seemed to be having fun though so Ellana decided to play along for a while.

Leliana was correcting Cassandra's stance when Dorian strolled over with a smug look on his handsome face. Ellana wasn't sure if that boded ill or well for them.

" _Leliana_ ," Cassandra whined, when the spymaster drifted off mid-sentence.

"One moment, little one," Leliana replied, straightening her back and holding up one finger.

"Good afternoon, ladies," Dorian said. Ellana raised a hand in greeting and Josephine smiled politely.

"To what do we owe this pleasure, Dorian?" Leliana asked.

Dorian clapped his hands together and then gestured to Cassandra with a flourish. "I do believe we finally have a solution to all our magical woes." Leliana's face became carefully blank.

"You've figured out a way to reverse the magic?" Ellana said.

"That we have, Inquisitor," Dorian replied. "I would explain it to you, but let's avoid having that glazed look you get in your eyes whenever Solas talks directed at me if we can."

"That seems fair," said Ellana, with a guilty smile. She hadn't realised she was so obvious. Speaking of obvious, Ellana noticed that Josephine's eyes were now firmly trained on Leliana with barely concealed concern. Hmm.

"Solas and I will be ready whenever you are," said Dorian.

"Okay, well let's-"

"Let's do it now," Leliana said quickly.

"Really? But we haven't finished our picnic!" Ellana said.

"You and Josephine may finish the picnic and I will take care of Cassandra," said Leliana. Her tone booked no argument. Any good humour she'd acquired throughout the day seemed to have vanished in an instant.

"Actually," said Josephine apologetically, "It is time I return to work. We have already been out here longer than I anticipated."

Feeling like she'd somehow just deflated, Ellana sighed with disappointment. It had been a while since she'd done anything that didn't directly relate to her very important Inquisition duties. This had been a nice way to wind down after her triumphant return from closing a rift at the foot of the Frostback Mountains yesterday. "All right then."

Then, much to Cassandra's disappointment, they packed away their picnic and gave the leftovers to Bull who had been lurking nearby like he was waiting for this exact result.

Before the four left, Josephine pulled Cassandra into a tight hug and said something in halting Nevarran. The girl smiled and placed a sloppy kiss on Josephine's cheek with a wicked chuckle. Josephine rolled her eyes playfully and then ushered her back in Leliana's direction.

"I'm going to miss her," said Josephine wistfully. "It will, however, be nice to have _our_ Cassandra back." Neither Ellana or Leliana responded, for entirely different reasons.

They parted ways and Cassandra took her usual spot by Leliana's side, swinging from her hand. Ellana had noticed that whenever they moved around Skyhold the kid made an extra effort to cement herself to the spymaster's person. She didn't particularly enjoy the attention she got from others when Leliana wasn't around to discourage any attempts at conversation. People tended to gawk at the miniature Seeker.

Her gaze drifted to Leliana then as they followed Dorian towards the mage's tower. Though her head was tilted forward so her hood cast her face in shadows there was something in the air around her that gave the impression of a woman trudging towards impending doom. It was possible she didn't trust Dorian and Solas' magic not to cause some kind of irreparable damage to Cassandra's psyche in some way. Or she was terrified of Cassandra's reaction to how she'd spent the last month if in fact the spell did work. Ellana wasn't sure how likely that one was. She wasn't under the impression that Leliana was afraid of many things.

As they walked, Dorian attempted to engage Leliana in conversation, but was met with a stony silence. It was somewhat reminiscent of the incident of Redcliff Castle, but obviously under much less dire circumstances. Ellana shuddered. Bad comparison to make. She'd spent the last several months doing her utmost to repress everything that had happened on that day. Sometimes in her dreams she could still see her friends with red lyrium shimmering around their skin. Could still hear Leliana's laboured breathing as she dragged her abused body behind them before killing Felix right before their eyes. Grand Enchanter Fiona... Ellana blinked. No. Don't go down that road today.

"And here we are!" said Dorian, waving a hand to a rather weak looking wooden door. Ellana almost sighed with relief at the distraction presented to her.

Ellana pushed the door open and stepped into the room. It...was not what she had been expecting. The space was large and open but for the twelve tall, claw foot mirrors arranged into a circle in the middle. Ellana had only ever seen their like before in Orlais. She wondered how much money this had set back the Inquisition because she very much doubted they'd come as standard in the rooms in the barracks.

It was also very dark, with the windows boarded up and just scattered candles to provide light. She blinked to allow her eyes to adjust, only just noticing an empty bottle of what she assumed was lyrium on the floor before she stepped on it.

"Ah, Inquisitor," said Solas. He was leaning over a desk full of strewn papers and books but stood to attention when he heard the door open. "I wasn't expecting you so early."

"Yes well..." Her eyes drifted over to Leliana. "We thought it would be best to get this whole thing out the way." Solas' face twitched at her dismissive phrasing.

"Of course, Inquisitor," he said.

Leliana came to stand beside her, an uneasy looking Cassandra now in her arms. "The reports my agents acquired were useful, I trust?" she said, looking critically down at the mess on Solas' desk.

"Couldn't have done this without them," Dorian said quickly. He ran a finger over his moustache and grinned. "As I told the Inquisitor, I'd be more than happy to explain our methods but-"

"That won't be necessary," said Leliana, with a roll of her eyes.

"I suspected as much," said Dorian.

That was when Cassandra chose to make herself known. She pulled her face from Leliana's neck and said something loudly in Nevarran. While Leliana replied, Ellana turned her attention to Solas.

"So how do we do this then? And is there a reason for all these mirrors or does Dorian just really like to look at himself while he works?" she said.

"A little of column a and a little of column b," Dorian said seriously. Then he winked at her.

"The mirrors were originally to reflect back any magical residue that escaped from our experiments," said Solas.

"Fiona's insistence," Dorian added.

Solas inclined his head in agreement. "As it turned out, the mirrors amplified the particular brand of magic responsible for this" - he gestured to Cassandra - "transformation."

"So that means..."

"It means only Solas and I will be needed rather than the entirety of Thedas' mages," said Dorian.

Ellana squinted her eyes. "Was that really a possibility?"

Before Dorian could answer, Solas said, "No, it was not, Inquisitor. As always, Ser Pavus likes to exaggerate. Now in regards to your earlier question, all Cassandra will need to do is stand in the centre of the circle and Dorian and I will do the rest."

"This plan will definitely succeed?" Leliana re-entered the conversation, her voice strangely distant.

"Well there is marginal room for error as there is with anything of this nature," Solas said. "I am confident this will be safe for Cassandra."

The frown on Leliana's face and the way she splayed a protective hand over Cassandra's back told Ellana she wasn't too impressed with Solas' supposed confidence. "Very well."

"If you will allow me a final moment to consult my notes, we can begin," said Solas.

Her face completely impassive, Leliana carried Cassandra to the far end of the room and began to change her clothes into the ones they'd detoured to retrieve on their journey over. Cassandra protested when the much-too-large shirt was pulled over her head but it was half-hearted; whatever reason Leliana had given for this change of outfit was enough.

It suddenly occurred to Ellana that this would be the last time she'd get to speak to Cassandra like this. Yes, she missed her friend a great deal and she'd honestly feel safer once she was back with them, but Cassandra was just so...unencumbered like this. Happier. It made her feel a little selfish for pushing the mages so hard for a reversal spell. Then there was Leliana. Had she become a little too accustomed to Cassandra's presence? Ellana stared at the back of the woman's head and tried to decipher how she must be feeling. No answer was forthcoming.

"I'm ready when you are, Inquisitor," said Solas very quietly beside her. He too was looking over to the pair in the corner with a strange expression on his face.

Ellana nodded. "Leliana?" she said.

Leliana stood up and guided Cassandra to the centre of the circle of mirrors. When she untangled their fingers and tried to leave Cassandra attempted to follow her, almost tripping over the bottom of her pants. Leliana held out a hand and forced a smile. She said something in a low voice while Cassandra blinked back tears. Obviously the girl had no idea what was going on, but she knew _something_ was happening and it frightened her. An unexpected twinge in Ellana's heart caused her to look away from the scene.

When she had finished speaking, Leliana held out her arms to give little Cassandra one final hug. She brushed away a rogue tear on Cassandra's face with the pad of her thumb and then stood up again to exit the circle. Leliana's face had become completely expressionless once more.

"Well then," said Dorian, clapping his hands together so loudly that Ellana startled. Sometimes her enhanced hearing wasn't always a boon. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Ellana watched with rapt attention as the two mages began their spell. Green light filled the room, ebbing and flowing like the tide, but as Solas had told them beforehand the magic was contained within the mirrors. Poor Cassandra looked terrified, but held her ground. Ellana didn't think she'd ever been so proud of another person.

When the magic began to take effect, Cassandra screamed an earth shattering sound and then slumped to the ground, unconscious. Ellana could only see Leliana's stricken expression for a few more seconds before the green light became brighter and brighter until she could see no further than an inch in front of her face. It took every ounce of restraint not to throw herself into the circle and drag Cassandra out of there, assuming Leliana didn't beat her to it. She prayed to the Creators that Solas and Dorian knew what they were doing. Maybe this had been a mistake...

After what felt like an age, but was in reality just two short minutes, the light began to fade. Heart in her throat, Ellana held her breath.

She needn't have worried so, for when her eyes adjusted she could see a fully grown Cassandra Pentaghast lay sprawled on the ground before them. The woman let out a low groan and clenched her hands into fists.

A smile took over Ellana's face, but when she raised her head to share her elation with Leliana, the spymaster was gone.


	8. Epilogue

It wasn't at all difficult for Ellana to find Cassandra that afternoon. The Seeker had spent the majority of her waking hours in the exact same place for the last several days, much to the chagrin of the Inquisition's soldiers who wished to train indoors but didn't want to risk incurring Cassandra's ire or being drawn into a sparring match they had no chance of winning. Ellana could hardly blame them; the wrath that Cassandra had rained down upon Dorian had already become the stuff of legend. According to one particularly lurid telling of the story Cassandra had somehow channelled what was left of the magic in her system and had used it to set fire to Dorian's moustache. Ellana had a feeling Varric had something to do with that one.

It was then, with a heavy sigh, that Ellana approached the old barn and pushed open the door. Sure enough Cassandra stood inside, sword in hand with a horde of dismembered dummies laid to waste around her feet. Just another disturbing image to add to the macabre scrapbook that had become Ellana's life recently.

Though Cassandra must have heard her entrance she did not greet the Inquisitor, instead choosing to focus her attention to the one practice dummy left standing. Ellana moved away from the door and found the cleanest patch of wall she could to lean against. By this point in their friendship Ellana knew better than to push Cassandra too hard when she was being stubborn like this. It was more prudent to wait until she grew too impatient to delay the inevitable any longer.

So Ellana settled herself in for the long haul, allowing herself to be lulled into a half doze by the rhythmic thuds of Cassandra's practice sword against the mannequin. This room always reminded her a little of home despite it having never been used a barn during the Inquisition's stay at Skyhold, for behind the scent of sweat the air still smelled faintly livestock and though Dennet insisted she couldn't possibly tell, Ellana knew that halla once lived in here.

For about twenty minutes Ellana stood there, watching Cassandra's assault become more and more aggressive until the woman, with a huff of frustration, abandoned her enemy and spun to meet the Inquisitor's gaze, sword pointed outwards. She quickly realised what she was doing and lowered her weapon.

"Must you stand there and leer at me?" she said, her voice straining with barely controlled anger.

Ellana frowned. "I'm not sure _leering_ is the word I'd use."

" _Inquisitor_ ," said Cassandra. Her breathing was laboured and beads of sweat rolled down her face. Apparently she was no more in the mood for idle chitchat than she had been the last three times Ellana had tried to talk to her. "Is there something you needed?"

"There is," said Ellana. She straightened her back. "We are headed to the Hinterlands tomorrow." They were finally headed to take care of the reported dragon; Bull was ecstatic.

"Yes," said Cassandra. "I am still accompany you, as we discussed?"

"Oh, yes," said Ellana. "That's not what I meant."

A impatient huff escaped Cassandra's lips. "Then what _do_ you mean, Inquisitor?"

Ellana opened her mouth and then closed it again. She probably should have worked out what she wanted to say before starting this conversation. How was it Josephine had phrased it? In a way that would sound utterly absurd coming from Ellana's lips no doubt. Okay. She'd be direct. Cassandra appreciated candidness.

"Look, Cassandra, you've been avoiding us all for days." Cassandra made to protest but Ellana held up a hand. "I get it. You feel awkward. I probably wouldn't want to listen to Bull and Varric's sly remarks either." Cassandra had managed to terrify the rest of Skyhold into silence, but somehow her death threats merely spurred Bull and Varric on. Three days earlier Varric had offered to cut up Cassandra's steak at dinner and it was an honest to Creators miracle that the woman hadn't upturned the table in rage.

"Then what is the problem?" said Cassandra stiffly. "I assure you my performance on the field will not be affected by my personal feelings."

"I never thought it would," Ellana assured her. "But..."

"But _what_?"

"Have you spoken to Leliana yet?"

Cassandra's total silence spoke volumes.

"Didn't think so," said Ellana. She reached up to brush some red hair behind her ear. "Do you plan to anytime soon?"

"Has she requested my presence?" Cassandra asked. If Ellana didn't know any better she might suggest there was a touch of _hope_ in the woman's voice.

"No she hasn't," said Ellana. "In fact, she's barely said a word to anybody. Like you, when she isn't wandering around Skyhold like the resident ghost she's taking the word 'reclusive' to an unhealthy level."

Cassandra bowed her head, though now she'd aged her hair was much too short to cover her face. Had she done something similar a few months ago Ellana would have thought it very out of character, but now she'd seen a much younger version of the Seeker make this move a hundred times. Old habits die hard, apparently.

"The only time Josephine and I have seen her since..." She gestured to Cassandra. "Well, since you-know-when, was at the weekly scheduled meeting in the war room."

"I do not know what you wish of me," said Cassandra. "Leliana and I have very different duties. Our paths rarely cross."

"Oh, so what you're saying is that you aren't _actively_ not talking to Leliana; it's just how the cards have fallen?" Ellana raised an eyebrow. A grunt of disgust was the only response she got. "Please do not insult my intelligence."

Cassandra looked shocked then. "Inquisitor, I would _never_ do such a thing!"

"Then talk to me, Cassandra," said Ellana. Like Cassandra, patience had never been the elf's strong point. "What's the problem?"

It was like pulling teeth. Cassandra looked down at the sword in her hand and ran her finger along the hilt.

"I..." said the Seeker finally. "I am not sure. This is not a situation I know how to deal with."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Ellana almost felt sorry for her, but it had been a week now and it really was becoming ridiculous. Josephine was beside herself with worry for both Cassandra and Leliana, so enough was enough.

"Okay. Just bear in mind that the Hinterlands is a minimum two and a half week round trip and that's if we don't take any detours or encounter any distractions," said Ellana.

"I am aware, Inquisitor," Cassandra replied. She picked up her sword in both hands and turned back to the training dummy. A two-handed sword wasn't usually Cassandra's weapon of choice, but Ellana supposed a shield wasn't necessary when your opponent can't fight back. "I will be ready to leave at dawn tomorrow."

Well, Ellana thought, she'd done her best. "Fine," she said. As she moved to leave, she stopped at the door. Directness. "Talk to Leliana."

"Is that an order, Inquisitor?"

Ellana sighed. "No, Cassandra. I would hope that after all this time you know I'd never _order_ you to do something. I'm asking you...please don't add yourself to the list of people Leliana has loved and lost," Ellana said. Cassandra paused, sword hovering an inch away from the dummy's neck. "For both your sakes."

* * *

After much deliberation, Cassandra had decided to remove her outer armour before seeking out the spymaster. After so long without it the weight was cumbersome and made her feel awkward and ungainly. She was sure a few days on the road would quickly rectify the issue, but until then there was no need to parade around Skyhold in her Inquisition regalia just to have a conversation with Leliana.

Now, Cassandra stood outside the heavy wooden door to Leliana's bedroom and tried to ignore the rather painful rhythm the beating of her heart had taken. For reasons she could not discern, she couldn't bring herself to knock.

She'd already been up to the rookery but none of Leliana's agents seemed to know the woman's location, or if they did they weren't willing to part with the information. Having spent the last few weeks attached to Leliana's side though, Cassandra felt herself uniquely qualified to search out the other woman herself. The longer she looked, however, the more nervous she became by the idea of succeeding.

Cassandra swallowed against a dry throat and shook her head at herself. She was being utterly absurd. A grown woman afraid to speak to her friend of several years. It was pitiful. How could it be that she would rather face down a dragon in the Hinterlands than have a conversation with the person who had done so much for her? What was she afraid of?

The dull knock reverberated through Cassandra's skull.

"Enter," said that familiar voice.

Steeling herself, Cassandra pushed open the door and stepped into the room that had become something of a sanctuary for her recently. Unsurprisingly it looked no different in the wake of her absence, though the atmosphere felt somewhat heavier.

Leliana sat at her desk, and when Cassandra focused her attention on the woman she was closing the left drawer with more gentleness than was perhaps warranted. Leliana turned her head and her eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise.

"Cassandra," she said. Her mouth curved into a half smile that made Cassandra feel warmer. "I wasn't expecting you."

Awkwardly, Cassandra stood with her hands behind her back as though waiting for military inspection. She wasn't sure how to start, so she said the first thing that sprang to mind. "You're having a bad day."

"Am I?" asked Leliana, amused. She turned her chair around and slipped her hood a little further back on her head so eerie shadows were no longer cast across her face.

"You read your letters from the Hero of Ferelden when you're sad. When you believed I was sleeping or wasn't looking," said Cassandra, gesturing to the drawer she'd seen Leliana close when she'd entered the room. "I noticed."

Leliana's smile faded but she neither confirmed nor denied Cassandra's assessment.

"Mon amie, I am sorry to tell you this, but I never believed you were sleeping," she said. "You never fully closed your eyes and your faux snoring left a lot to be desired." A faint blush appeared on Cassandra's cheeks and she clenched her teeth. Leliana chuckled. "Don't worry; it was endearing."

Cassandra snorted. "I'm sure."

In the slightly awkward silence that followed, Cassandra used to time to study the other woman. Even in the low light levels provided by the few candles lit around the room she could see why Josephine and the Inquisitor were worried; Leliana looked pale and worn and makeup did not quite cover the dark lines under her eyes. It was difficult to say if this was a new development or if as a child Cassandra merely hadn't noticed. Was it possible the stress of babysitting on top of her other duties had caused the exhaustion? This was all that damn mage's fault.

"What troubles you, Cassandra?" asked Leliana after a moment. "You seem pensive."

Grateful though she was that Leliana had outright asked for the information she wanted rather than engage in the verbal acrobatics she usually favoured, Cassandra didn't know how to respond.

"You didn't struggle with your words so much last week, _no_?" Leliana teased. Cassandra felt heat in her face once more. This sort of banter felt familiar to her now. There was safety in the way Leliana spoke to her, though Cassandra knew there shouldn't be. She couldn't expect Leliana to treat her with the same care as she did when she acted as her guardian. "Maybe you should sit down before you hurt yourself," Leliana then said, gesturing to the bed on the other side of the room.

Just for something to do, Cassandra followed the instruction and perched herself on the very edge of the bed. It felt different now, the mattress compressing more tightly beneath her due to her increased weight.

Leliana smiled kindly at her and she had to force herself to maintain eye contact. She couldn't yet identify the feelings warring inside her. _Ugh_. Things were so much easier when she was young and stupid.

"I am sorry," said Cassandra eventually. Leliana frowned. "For all the trouble I have been to you."

"Ah." Leliana's face gave away nothing. "Is that why you are here? To apologise?"

"And to thank you," said Cassandra. "You didn't have to waste your time chasing after me."

"Actually, Cassandra, I did. You were very specific about where you wanted to be," said Leliana, an amused glint in her eye. "Do not worry yourself needlessly. I was happy to do it."

Cassandra snorted. "Where you?"

"Maybe not at first," Leliana conceded. Something akin to shame flitted across her face. "Perhaps it is I who should apologise to you."

"No!" said Cassandra quickly. "Don't." She knew exactly what Leliana was thinking about. "That was my fault. I shouldn't have-"

"You were just a child, Cassandra. I should never have left you up there alone. Anything could have happened," said Leliana, with no small amount of disgust with herself. "You could have fallen and broken your neck. Then did I learn from my mistakes? No. I let you run off. I, who pride myself on my skills of observation, couldn't keep track of a six year old child. _Spymaster_ , indeed."

"You had important work to do for the Inquisition," said Cassandra. The words came out in a rush. "More important than...babysitting me."

" _Nothing_ was more important than keeping you safe," Leliana replied sharply, and with much more fervour than was needed.

Cassandra couldn't help it; she smiled. Cassandra was a warrior; one of the best even if she did say so herself. It had been a long time since anybody had wanted to protect her rather than wanted her protection. It wasn't necessary because she could more than take care of herself, but she appreciated it all the same. How was it Varric had phrased it to her? _You really did a number on the Nightingale. Wrapped her right around your little finger_. Cassandra hadn't really grasped what he had meant at first, but had assumed it was something vaguely insulting. Now, she thought she might understand. She didn't often hear such earnestness in Leliana's tone unless she spoke of Divine Justinia, her beloved Warden or occasionally Josephine.

Leliana cared for her.

"You're laughing at me," said Leliana. She sounded affronted but something in her tone told Cassandra not to believe it. She mostly seemed sad so Cassandra decided it was perhaps time to change the subject.

"You tried to teach me to write," said Cassandra, like that explained everything that ran through her mind.

"Yes," Leliana replied slowly. "You wanted to help write reports for Josie and the Inquisitor."

"Yes, but you needn't have wasted your time trying to help me with skills you knew I already had," Cassandra pointed out. "You were...so patient even when I made the same mistakes over and over. Even when I became frustrated and threw your pen on the floor. My Nevarran tutors were never so tolerant." Cassandra had always struggled with reading and writing. The letters never quite stayed in the right place on the page.

Leliana tilted her head to one side in thought. She was a very smart woman, Cassandra knew. Yet, she still said, "I'm not sure I see your point." Somehow Cassandra suspected Leliana knew what she was trying to say much clearer than she herself did.

Cassandra hung her head. "You have been so kind to me. During our daily devotions I started to pray to the Maker to let me take you back to Nevarra with me when Anthony returned. I wanted to keep you." She barked out a bitter laugh. "Please do not apologise to me for anything."

Silently, Leliana rose to her feet and crossed the small room to sit herself beside Cassandra. A warm hand landed on her bicep and squeezed. "Maybe we should both stop apologising then, yes?"

It took all of her self control not to reflexively cuddle into Leliana's side. She wondered how long it would take for the spymaster to stop feeling like her safe place.

"As you wish," said Cassandra, unconsciously echoing a phrase Leliana had said to her many times over the past few weeks.

"I do wish," Leliana confirmed. She offered Cassandra a tentative smile. "I thought you were going to leave without saying goodbye."

Guiltily, Cassandra looked away. "I was going to," she admitted. "But the Inquisitor..."

"Ah," Leliana interrupted. "At the behest of Josephine no doubt. Well I am glad our intrepid leader found the time to speak to you."

Cassandra sighed. "I have been cowardly."

"You've been through an ordeal," said Leliana. She slid her hand down Cassandra's arm and linked their fingers together, though now her hands were dwarfed by the Seeker's larger ones rather than the other way around. "You have every right to be upset, regardless of certain other members of the Inquisition treating it like a joke."

Somehow, Cassandra felt that did not excuse her behaviour. Still, she closed her eyes and allowed Leliana to wrap an arm around her and pull her closer. She rested her head on the spymaster's shoulder and sighed, content for the first time in days. This. This was why she'd been reluctant to seek out Leliana. Seekers were not encouraged to cultivate personal relationships or form attachments. Here, she was too... _comfortable_.

But maybe that was okay? She'd always considered Leliana a friend, bound together by their faith and service to the Divine. Did she not deserve someone she could feel close to? Maybe even confide in? It would be foolish to think Leliana did not already know all of her secrets and she had never used a single one against her. She'd trusted Leliana with her life for a long time.

"When I return from the Hinterlands we should have dinner," Cassandra said. Leliana looked like she would benefit from a good dinner.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" asked Leliana.

"What? No!" Cassandra's head shot up but Leliana was laughing. "Oh very amusing. I don't know why I bother."

"I'm sorry, Cassandra," Leliana said, though she didn't much sound like she meant it. "You just look so horrified." With a huff, Cassandra folded her arms. "Come now, _little one_ , if the wind changes your face will stay that way."

With a roll of her eyes, Cassandra relaxed again. "Perhaps I will forgive you if you tell me the story of the Fifth Blight."

This time it was Leliana who was surprised by the direction the conversation had taken. "Really?" she asked. "You wish to hear of the Blight?"

A little embarrassed, Cassandra shrugged her shoulders inelegantly. "You told me you would tell me about it when I was older." She gestured to herself. "I believe I now qualify."

Leliana smiled. "It is a long story."

"You can tell me about it over dinner," said Cassandra. Maybe they could make it a weekly event? It had been a long time since she'd really sat down with the Left Hand. After the death of the Divine she and Leliana had rarely spoken. Perhaps she should have made more of an effort; the death of Justinia had hit Leliana harder than anybody.

"As you wish," said Leliana.

"If you make it good I may consider not being furious that you allowed Varric to tell me _my own story_." Cassandra scowled at the wicked grin that appeared on Leliana's face.

"You should have heard the version he really tried to tell you," she said. "Let's just say your clothing was a lot less practical and a previous torrid affair with Knight-Commander Martel for dramatic tension was mentioned."

"I will _kill_ that dwarf."

"Well, you are going to fight a dragon, _no_?" Cassandra nodded. "It would not be difficult to make one lone dwarf's death look like an accident."

Cassandra snorted and Leliana grinned in response. "I will bear that in mind, Sister Nightingale."

"See that you do," said Leliana, in a tone that suggested their conversation was now at an end. She patted Cassandra's knee and rose to her feet. "I must return to the rookery before my agents send out a search party."

"They don't know where you are?" asked Cassandra, also standing.

"They do," Leliana told her, "But they think it will please me to believe I escaped their notice."

"Foolish," Cassandra said. "It just suggests they cannot do their jobs properly."

"Yes," Leliana agreed with a weary smile. "There is a reason _I_ am at the top of the ladder and not they."

For a moment, the two women looked at each other. Then Cassandra gestured to the door. "I should..." She should, but instead she stood there like a witless novice.

Leliana chuckled and reached out to pull Cassandra towards her. It took her a moment but Cassandra realised what was happening and she wrapped her arms around the spymaster tightly. Funny, as a child she'd never realised how small Leliana really was, but here in her arms she felt so fragile. She rested her chin atop Leliana's head and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the hug.

When Leliana pulled away, her eyes were glassy. "I've missed you," she said, patting Cassandra gently on the arm. There was the guilt again. "Stay safe."

"I will," Cassandra promised. "And I will keep the Inquisitor from becoming toasted." The smile on Leliana's face told Cassandra she knew how tall an order that was. "I'll see you when I return."

Cassandra thought about the disbelieving hum she'd received in response all the way to the Hinterlands. It was why, when they all dragged themselves back to Skyhold almost a full month later, the first thing she did was wash away the weeks' worth of sweat and grime and then head to the rookery with a bottle of wine she knew Leliana favoured. The surprise on Leliana's face that quickly morphed into a happy smile was enough to make Cassandra forget her exhaustion. Maybe something good had come out of this whole sorry incident after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :-)


End file.
